


Unholy Alliance

by 18lzytwner



Series: Wicked Third Series [1]
Category: Wicked - All Media Types, Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2019-07-02 03:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 25,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15788100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: As Fiyero and Elphaba try to escape Oz after her "melting", tragedy strikes. Who can they trust? The answer leads to questionable decisions and hope that they can survive their exodus. While all this is going on, Morrible is about to stand trial and only a guilty verdict will keep Glinda and the Animals of Oz safe. Fiyeraba.





	1. Chapter 1

Elphaba held her breath waiting for the moment someone would open the trapdoor and kill her where she sat. The footsteps of Dorothy and her cohorts had long faded as had Glinda's but she still worried that she was not safe. The plan had worked so far but she wondered for how long her luck would hold out. Then after what seemed like an eternity she heard the voice she was waiting for,

"Fae?" At this she practically burst from her hiding spot under the trapdoor.

"Yero," there was a big smile on her face as he helped her out of the hole and then into his straw filled arms.

"It worked," he said.

"I guess it did. Is the next part of the plan still a go?" She wanted to know, unsure if he'd managed to secure passage out of Oz via the Animal Network that had been establish to covertly attack the Wizard's plans for the Animals of Oz.

"I sent Mestek ahead to make sure that the roads are clear. We just have to wait for him to return," the Scarecrow known as Fiyero explained about one of the many friends they had made in the Animal circle. Mestek was an owl who very frequently helped Animals and others make safe night journeys to freedom in the woods near the border of Oz and her neighbor, Ix. There was the Impassable Desert to deal with in-between but once clear of Oz, Elphaba could fly over it with her broom which she clutched tightly in her hand.

"I wish we could fly to Ix from here," she said.

"Regrettably it still is not safe here in Oz. The Wizard might be down for the count but those loyal to his way of thinking would not hesitate to hurt either one of us. Glinda has a big fight on her hands back in the Emerald City," Fiyero shook his head. Morrible was in jail but there would be the matter of her trial which was approaching quickly. If the witch was found not guilty, she would be free to launch a campaign to try to regain a position of power in Oz. Something that both Elphaba and Fiyero knew would spell doom for all the Animals of their home country.

"How can we leave her?" Elphaba asked, constantly worried about her friend. The green girl hadn't had many of them and she was slowly losing everything she'd ever held dear.

"We have no choice. We can't help her. She might be temporarily in power but until she can prove you didn't do what everyone thinks you did, she'd be forced to arrest and execute you. I think that is much worse than letting her think we're dead," he pointed out. Elphaba heaved a sigh. Of course he was right. If it was ever found out that Glinda was even friends with her then it could spell the end for the blonde.

"I'm going to miss her too but it's what we have to do," Fiyero said. It was then that Mestek arrived.

"The roads are clear once we are free of the castle. I didn't see any soldier's lingering so if we are to go, we must do it now," he said.

"Come on," Fiyero grabbed Elphaba's hand and they moved through the darkened castle as quickly and as cautiously as they could. Fiyero knew that snipers could be lying in wait, ordered to remain until dawn, at which point they would search the castle, making sure no one was around. He had used the old access tunnels to Kiamo Ko that he had known as a boy. It was the only way to not be spotted from the part of the castle that faced the Emerald City. However at the time he was beloved through Oz as the Scarecrow who was going to help Dorothy destroy the witch. Now if seen with Elphaba he would be a target too.

"The moon will be helpful in our escape," Mestek said as they entered the tunnel and made their way toward the exit.

"Good. The last thing we need is for me to use my magic to light the way and get us killed," Elphaba commented as they stepped out into the pale moonlight. Fiyero paused; his military sense about his surroundings helped him check every spot that would be good for a sniper. The scene seemed to be clear but unfortunately if he had had hairs on the back of his neck, he would know otherwise. There was the sound of a gunshot and Fiyero's first thought was to dive on Elphaba in an attempt to protect her. Mestek screeched and shot off into the trees in the direction that the bullet had come.

"Fae?" He asked her, hoping she was all right.

"Yero… I…" he looked down and saw the hole in his stomach which lined up with the hole in Elphaba's.

"Oh Unnamed God," he murmured.


	2. Chapter 2

Mestek returned a few moments later, a rifle clutched in his bloody talons, along with the usual rifle trappings of gunpowder and bullets. Fiyero ignored what had undoubtedly taken place and continued to focus on helping his beloved who was bleeding profusely.

"Help me sit up," she ordered. Her voice was thin but it still held a measure of anger. The Scarecrow quickly did so and with every ounce of strength she had left Elphaba spoke the words she needed to slow the bleeding. Once complete, she passed out.

"Did it work?" Fiyero could not see, given the condition of the blood soaked dress.

"Let me see Master Fiyero. My eyes are very good in this shade of dark," Mestek offered. Fiyero nodded, knowing the Owl felt terrible for what happened. It was not his fault. The Gale Force had some of the best snipers around and if they did not want to be seen, they would not be.

"It would seem that some of your straw is sticking out of the wound. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any more blood seeping out," Mestek explained.

"We have to move. We cannot stay here," Fiyero was concerned about other snipers in the area.

"How do you propose we move Miss Elphaba?" The Owl asked. It was the question of the ages. Given his straw form, Fiyero would not be able to lift her given his weak arms. Another proposition popped into his head but we worried that attempting it would doom them to failure.

"Can we tie her to her broom?" Mestek offered, since he was greeted by silence from the Scarecrow. Fiyero shrugged and grabbed the cleaning instrument with his hands. It did not float for him so he gently lifted Elphaba's hand and was rewarded with the broom moving to be at the ready.

"Does our friend in the tree have any rope?" Fiyero gestured toward the area that the shot came from with his head. Mestek nodded and flew off to check the man's dead body for anything useful.

"He had a small med kit and some rope," the Owl said as he landed near Fiyero a few minutes later.

"All right, let's bind the wound, just in case it tries to reopen. I'm not sure how much magic Fae actually got to use on it. Then let's tie her ankles together on the broom and her shoulders down and see if she'll stay steady. I'm not feeling overly comfortable with this whole thing but if we stay, we run the risk of being outnumbered and outgunned in a few short amount of time," he said.

"Agreed. Shall I see if there is anyone who could help in the area?" Mestek wondered, hoping for a large Animal like a Bear or Lion.

"No time. Once we're away from the castle, we'll need to look for a hiding place," Fiyero said as he began to work. The Owl quickly helped as much as he could and then they got moving. Both were surprised that the broom stayed balanced but perhaps it was Elphaba's magic that was helping. They had no explanation but they had no time to worry, as long as it was working, they needed to press on.

Finally, reaching the road, about an hour later, Fiyero looked at the moon. They would be in daylight in a mere three hours. It was not enough time to make it to the border at the Impassable Desert, given how slow they were moving. They needed to detour and find shelter.

"Are there any caves nearby?" He asked his friend.

"About an hour from now, if we get moving," Mestek nodded.

"Lead on MacDuff," Fiyero nodded back and the group got moving slowly. They walked and flew in mostly silence, Fiyero worrying about Elphaba and Mestek worrying about the road ahead.

They were finally nearing a location where they would need to leave the road and head into the trees when Mestek heard the sound of hooves racing toward them. He screeched and Fiyero tried to redirect the broom toward the trees, with any luck the approaching rider would pass by and they could continue on their way. However, they would not be so lucky. Mestek screeched again but this was because the horse was moving much faster than their little group and the Owl aimed for the rider, in an attempt to knock him off his horse or at minimum distract him.

"Away you foul beast!" The rider shouted. Fiyero shoved the broom down into the ditch and ran to help his friend, afraid for the Owl's safety. When he got back onto the road and started running, he heard a woman shout from behind him,

"Freeze!" The Scarecrow didn't move; the rifle in his hands was not prepared to fire.

"Drop the weapon, call off your friend, and turn around slowly!" She demanded, her rifle pointed at him.

"Please, just let us pass!" Fiyero was practically begging after he whistled to Mestek. He knew that he wouldn't bleed but he had no idea what would happen if she shot him in the head.

"Why would we do that? Your owl almost took off my husband's face!" She gave him a look.

"We just want to pass on. We mean you no trouble," he said as Mestek landed on a nearby tree branch.

"You're trouble enough but what was it you were trying to hide in the ditch?" She asked. Fiyero didn't answer and her husband rode over with his horse.

"Sweet Mother of Oz!" He exclaimed.


	3. Chapter 3

"I see why you shoved her into the ditch," the man whirled around and for the first time, Fiyero got a good look at him. He did not like what he saw. He knew that face and he was certain that he would not be able to hide his identity for long.

"Her?" His wife was confused until she saw what he held in his hand, a floating broom with a wounded Elphaba on it. She whipped her head to look at Fiyero and then back to the unconscious woman on the broom.

"You were hunting her and given the direction you were headed, you weren't turning her into the Gale Force or Lady Glinda," the woman said. She dropped the rifle in her hands into her lap.

"Let us pass," Fiyero said.

"Not with that wound, we're not. She may be the Wicked Witch but if we don't help her, she'll be dead," the woman told him.

"We're not getting involved. I will kill the witch and then we will turn these traitors into the Gale Force," her husband announced.

"I would not recommend that course of action," Mestek spoke up. The man glared at the Owl, his eyes narrowing to slits.

"It will be nothing to dispatch you and take your horses," the Owl was bluffing of course, but by his tone and his mannerisms only Fiyero could tell. Still the blood on the Owl's claws could not be missed, and maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to get some help and survive to boot.

"All right, enough penis measuring. We help and then we decide what to do with the Witch. Now, let's get a move on. The sun will be up shortly and we don't want to get caught out on the road," the woman ordered. The men all turned to look at her.

"We will do no such thing!" Her husband was mad as hell. She gave him a look and climbed down off the horse. She then stalked her way over to the broom, grabbed it, and walked it back to her horse. There she took out some of her own rope from her saddlebag and attached the broom to the saddle, stringing the rope a little ways out so that the cleaning tool would ride behind the horse. Her husband moved to stop her but Fiyero got in his way.

"If you even think about stopping the lady, you'll find out how good I am with your rifle," he said. The man looked as if he was about to laugh but he stopped once he saw the look in the Scarecrow's eyes. He'd seen that look before.

"All right, break it up! Master Scarecrow, care for a lift?" The woman asked.

"Much obliged," he said, turning and nodding to the lady before climbing up behind her on the horse. She incited the animal to move and they began to head down the road, further away from the Emerald City. Mestek flew behind them, high enough to see the road ahead in case of a trap, but low enough to see what the man of the party was doing behind them.

"I must ask your name so that I can thank you properly," Fiyero said, looking back and seeing that the husband was stewing and standing back at his horse. He wondered if the man would climb onto his horse and follow or head off for the Emerald City.

"I am Azra, he is Mücahit. We are married, although for how much longer that remains to be seen," she commented. She had yet to look behind her to see of her husband was following and Fiyero figured that this woman was not all that different from Elphaba.

"I don't mean to pry but can I assume that it was an arranged marriage?" He asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Azra wanted to know, keeping her eyes on the road.

"I feel that sometimes it is not as easy to hide as people think. I was headed for one myself before all this happened," Fiyero admitted. He wasn't entirely wrong. Though he loved Glinda like a sister, he could not imagine marrying her. However, had he not broken things off with the blonde in the manner that he had, to follow Elphaba, his parents would more than likely force him to settle down. They were tired of him "dancing through life" and though he would never have told Glinda that his parents were basically forcing him; that was exactly what they were doing.

"I imagine we'll grow to love each other, if we don't kill each other first," Azra shrugged. Mestek let out a slight screech and Fiyero looked behind him.

"You might be heading toward a better relationship. It seems Mücahit is following us," he said. She only heaved a sigh and Fiyero wondered just how bad things were between them. Azra guided the horse to the right and they headed off down the road that met the main one. Fiyero looked at the lightening sky, hoping they were close.

"We'll be in before the moon disappears completely, not to worry. I hope I can help your friend. You must be very good friends for you to risk so much," she said, seeming to sense Fiyero's anxiousness.

"Very good. Thank you very much again," he told her.

"Don't thank me until this is over and we decide what to do with you. While I may be persuaded to let you go, Mücahit will not be," Azra reminded him.


	4. Chapter 4

Glinda anxiously paced the floor in her private study. Morrible's trial was set to get under way today and she was not sure if the prosecutor could nail the fish woman to the wall. She had committed atrocities, ones that the blonde had aired out for the world to see, but there were still people who believed in the Wizard and his right hand lady's methods.

"Lady Glinda, I'll have to call someone to fix the carpet," the Captain of the Guard said noting the wear pattern on the floor.

"If Morrible is not convicted, everything that I have strived to do will fall apart," she stopped pacing and faced him.

"You know that I am duty bound to do as you command but I am honor bound to protect you. Do not worry. You are still ruler of Oz. The people love you more than they do Morrible," he smiled slightly.

"Asli, I can appreciate your honor and your duty but those things tend to be forgotten once a witch as powerful as Morrible comes back into the picture," Glinda heaved a sigh and collapsed back into the chair behind her. The Captain of the Guard stood to his full height, just over six feet, and straightened his uniform before moving toward her. The blonde noted that nothing was out of place with him. His brown hair was slicked back so that it didn't move and his boots shined brighter than, that brat, Dorothy's slippers. Every inch of his swarthy skin was covered by his uniform and his white gloves, leaving only his head exposed. She wondered if he was hiding something from everyone underneath that uniform.

"Honor and duty do not allow you to forget them," he smiled slightly again.

"Be that as it may, if you needed to protect you or your family from her, you would do so, and forget about me. That is an order," she said.

"I have no family. The job is my family," he told her.

"Well then you do your job to the best of your abilities, which I know you do. Keep your ear to the ground and let me know if you hear anything about the trial and the witch," Glinda ordered.

"Yes ma'am," he gave a curt nod before leaning down and kissing her pink gloved hand.

"Always a gentleman," she smiled. He smiled slightly and was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door. He moved to it and opened it.

"Captain! One of our snipers has not returned from his post near Kiamo Ko. Shall I send out a search party for him?" The private asked.

"Which sniper Private Dooly?" Asli wanted to know.

"Corporal Higgins, sir," he said. Asli narrowed his eyes for a moment before saying,

"Wait until tomorrow morning. He tends to wander when left to his own devices."

"But, sir, what about the bandits in the woods?" Dooly asked.

"He is a trained sniper and Gale Force soldier. If he manages to get caught or killed, his family will be compensated but I will not send a group of my men after him. I bet he'll meander through the barracks door before nightfall. That is all Private," Asli commanded.

"Yes sir!" He saluted and was gone.

"A missing sniper?" Glinda questioned.

"If he was a more reliable sort, I might be more worried. I'm sure nothing has happened to him and to be honest, the service would be better without him," Asli shook his head.

"Honor and duty again?" Glinda wondered.

"Corporal Higgins has little of both, I can assure you milady. Good Day," he bowed slightly and was gone.  _Or maybe someone got to him. Someone like Elphie_ , Glinda thought. The blonde had been devastated when she learned of her friend's death. Still she had always felt that Elphaba suddenly developing a water allergy was odd. Though the rumor had persisted even though the blonde knew the green girl enjoyed a bubble bath as much as the next girl, though she'd never admit to it. With that thought in mind, Glinda lifted herself from the chair and headed to her room. Perhaps the Grimmerie would have an answer for her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Yero… Yero…" she repeated the name over and over in her sleep. Azra shook her head as she checked the dressings on Elphaba's wound. She patted the wounded woman's arm and then left the room.

"Who is Yero?" She asked the Scarecrow as she closed the door.

"The only person who ever loved her," he said.

"She asks for him almost constantly, I think it's the result of the fever. Did she use her magic on it?" Azra wanted to know.

"She did but I couldn't tell how well it worked. Why does she have a fever?" Fiyero asked.

"Well the wound looks angry. I'm wondering if the bullet is still in there. I have some skill with healing but surgery… that's a whole different ball of wax," she admitted.

"Do we have a choice? Do you think we could avoid opening her up?" He wondered.

"I think if the bullet is in there, we can't let it stay. She'll die if we do," the woman said.

"Then we'll have to do what we can," Fiyero set his jaw.

"All right. I'll see if my sewing kit has the right kind of needle. You might want to go in there and say anything you need to get off your chest. If this goes poorly…" Azra trailed off. Fiyero only nodded and headed inside.

"What are you doing?" Mücahit stopped her in the hallway.

"Helping as I promised. What are  _you_  doing?" She asked.

"I don't like what you're doing," he told her.

"That has been blatantly obvious from day one," Azra shook her head and pushed past him.

"You are my wife, you're supposed to do as I say," Mücahit grabbed her arm.

"I am a woman with a mind of my own. Stop me again from helping my patient and you'll find out where my mind feels your balls belong," she told him. With that she yanked away and headed for her sewing kit. He scowled and headed down into the room in which Fiyero was trying to soothe the feverish Elphaba.

"I know who you are," he said, causing the Scarecrow to whip around and look at him.

"Pardon?" Fiyero asked.

"I know that you're not some brainless pile of walking straw," Mücahit sneered.

"You can believe what you want but what you see in front of you is what you get," Fiyero stood.

"You can't hide it and I bet the Gale Force would be interested to know my thoughts," the man continued to look at him in disgust.

"My guess is that if they wanted your opinion, you'd still be with them. You can't hide what you were," Fiyero challenged.

"All right, if you're not here to help, get out," Azra demanded. Mücahit turned and left, leaving the two to do their work.

"He looks more pissed off than usual. Anything I need to worry about?" She wondered.

"He and I just came to some sort of revelation. Not sure what to think about it," Fiyero admitted.

"Well then we need to focus on the task at hand," she said.


	6. Chapter 6

Glinda was awoken by her personal assistant, Mindy, the next morning early for her. At first the blonde was worried that something serious had happened with Morrible but to her surprise, it had nothing to do with it. Corporal Higgins had not returned by nightfall nor had he managed to meander in this morning. That had made him officially AWOL – absent without leave.

Captain Asli had decided to send a small group of men out looking for him along his travel path to Kiamo Ko. He had given them until nightfall to find him and made sure that their horses were the fastest the Force had. Mindy told Glinda that Asli wanted her to know as they were trying to keep things quiet. No one could afford to have rumors beginning to spread that perhaps the Witch wasn't dead. It could have just been robbers along the road but they doubted it. Robbers typically avoided the Gale Force as they hardly travelled in small groups and trying to relieve them of their belongings often would end poorly for the criminals. Still since, he didn't head back with his group; one soldier might have been worth the risk.

Now Glinda sat in her office, short on sleep and short on patience. The trial of Morrible was underway and she was waiting to hear from the prosecutor. A knock on her door, made her jump.

"Come in," she managed.

"It's just me Lady Glinda," Mindy smiled slightly.

"Any word on anything?" The blonde wanted to know.

"The prosecutor is heading your way. The trial is on lunch break," Mindy explained.

"Oh good. Day two of the trial and already there must be blood in the water," Glinda shook her head.

"This wasn't going to be easy. There are still quite a few people who believe the Wizard and Morrible were right. Begging your pardon," the personal assistant said.

"This is very true. You don't have to beg for pardon. You know I appreciate your candor. Very few people actually give me their opinion and just try to blow sunshine and rainbows in my face," Glinda smiled. Mindy giggled and then they both heard the knock at the door. The assistant opened it and then allowed the prosecutor in and she exited.

"Good afternoon Lady Glinda," the prosecutor walked into the room and bowed.

"Good afternoon Mr. Yuri. What do you have for me?" She asked as she offered him a seat in the comfortable quoxwood seats across from her desk.

"Right to business, I can appreciate that," he straightened his clothing.

"I'm afraid it has to be," Glinda smiled.

"Well the defense is attempting to use the whole "I was just doing what I was told" defense. I don't see it playing but it's all they have so they're going to go for it," Yuri explained.

"Good grief," she shook her head.

"I can counter that by the edicts that she signed with her own name. There's no proof that she and the Wizard wrote these – his name isn't on anything. He fully insulted himself that way. I'm honestly surprised he's not here trying to fight for his name," Yuri told her. Glinda inwardly smiled. She had handled that fairly easily.

"Well why go down with Morrible's ship when he can go wreck other peoples' lives somewhere else?" the blonde smirked.

"Good point. I'll let you know how things went this afternoon after we break for the day. So far there is no indication that Morrible is going to testify on her own behalf," Yuri said as he stood.

"If she does, ask for a break. We need to make sure she can't spin any spells from the witness stand," Glinda stood up as well.

"Yes ma'am," Yuri nodded and left the office.


	7. Chapter 7

Later that day, Elphaba finally opened her eyes fully for the first time since she'd managed to partially heal herself. She felt incredibly weak and wondered if she'd maybe missed a few things. There was movement around behind her and she tried to lift an arm to move herself into a better position.

"You better not do that. I'm not as good as I'd like to be with stitching and I would hate for you to pull them out," an unfamiliar voice said. The woman moved around to be in her line of sight and Elphaba gave a slight smile.

"Thank you," the green girl said.

"Well don't thank me just yet. My husband and the Scarecrow are getting back into it. I'll be right back," the woman left the room and Elphaba understood what she meant when she heard shouting in the next room. They were undoubtedly arguing about her and she was kind of surprised that both she and Fiyero had not been turned over to the Gale Force.

It was then that she heard the woman shouting at the two men. Elphaba was surprised to hear such language come from a lady's mouth but to be fair both of the men were using a few choice words too. Finally, everything quieted down and the woman reentered the room.

"Sorry about that," she smiled slightly as she sat down in a wooden chair across from the bed.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm sure I'm the cause of all of this," Elphaba heaved a sigh and immediately regretted it as pain shot through her abdomen.

"Easy. Things are going to hurt for a while. Although I imagine when you're strong enough, you'll just heal yourself," the woman said.

"I can very well try but right now you're correct. Any attempt to perform a powerful spell in my condition would only backfire," Elphaba nodded before licking her lips. She was surprised at how dry they felt.

"Here's some water… although I'm not sure if that's a good choice," the woman stumbled over her words as she handed her patient a glass.

"It's the best choice right now. Besides, I think the ruse is over," Elphaba gave a tight smile.

"I suppose it is," she replied.

"Well since you've been so kind as to treat me, may I know your name before you send the Gale Force in here to arrest me?" The green girl asked.

"Oh where are my manners? I am Azra. The idiot who was yelling at the Scarecrow is my husband, Mücahit. We stumbled upon you and your little party whilst travelling home the other night," she smiled.

"Well thank you for taking us in, Azra. I can appreciate the position you've put yourself into in order to help us," Elphaba smiled back.

"Yes well, Mücahit may still hand you over to the Gale Force. I told him we'd help you before doing anything but I fear his patience is running out," Azra admitted.

"I am not surprised. I have always been the sort that people wished to distance themselves from," the witch frowned. There was something about the way she said it that made Azra think a little bit more about the two captives.

"The Scarecrow did not seem too eager to distance himself, nor the Owl," she commented.

"I am lucky to have them," Elphaba nodded before taking another sip of water.

"Well I'm going to send in the Scarecrow. I'm sure he's anxious to know how you are doing and to see you," Azra smiled and stood from her chair. She then left the room and within moments, Fiyero was at her side.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Like I was run over by a carriage. How stable is our situation here?" She wanted to know.

"I'm not sure but I'm thinking not very. Mücahit is former Gale Force and I think he knows that I am as well," Fiyero admitted.

"See if Mestek can find us some friendly Animals for transport. We may need to move before I am physically ready," Elphaba said. He leaned in and kissed her forehead before leaving the room.


	8. Chapter 8

"Tell me again why we're out here looking for that idiot Higgins," Corporal Smythe asked Sergeant Greevy.

"Because the Captain told us to," the Sergeant replied.

"No, the real reason. I mean Higgins is a waste of space," Smythe said.

"He is that," Corporal Chamberlin piped up. He was heavier than the rest and had stuffed food into his saddlebags just in case. Chamberlin was used to sitting behind a desk and not used to field work, which included firing his trusty (and possibly rusty) rifle. Captain Asli put him on the mission which told the others either he intended for Chamberlin to get a workout or that he didn't put much stock in the mission.

"No one is arguing that. I think the Captain wanted us to check on him because of his mission. After all, he was supposed to make sure that the Witch hadn't played any tricks on Dorothy and her motley crew," Greevy said.

"Well we've only got a few hours before nightfall and we haven't seen the bugger," Corporal Petri, who rounded out the group, muttered.

"Yes and my rear is killing me," Chamberlin told them.

"How do you think the horse feels?" Greevy asked making the men laugh at the portly man's situation.

"I didn't ask to go out on this mission!" Chamberlin was close to whining.

"I figure the Captain must be punishing us for dragging you along. I know he gave us the fastest horses but this is a little silly considering," Greevy said.

"Then why don't we call it a day? I mean no one misses Higgins and it's obvious no one cares if we find him," Smythe shook his head.

"I'd agree with you if I hadn't just seen what I saw," Petri pointed in the direction of some large birds circling something on the ground below.

"Vultures! Come on lads!" Greevy ordered. They spurred on their horses and raced onto Kiamo Ko's grounds. As they drew closer they could smell what the birds smelled.

"Smells like death," Smythe said, as he continually looked around.

"Aye, it does," Greevy agreed.

"What was Higgins' position supposed to be?" Petri asked as the group rounded the corner on some of the large boulders that were at the base of the forlorn castle.

"A sniper makes his nest high up," the Sergeant pointed to the higher posts around and noted that the birds were definitely over the higher outcroppings and trees.

"I've got blood!" Smythe announced as he pointed to a stain on the rocks nearby.

"Perhaps he hit his target," Greevy mused.

"If he did, he got back what he sent out," Petri pointed to the trees as one of the vultures landed on the limbs, bowing it down. It was then that they all heard retching.

"Oz sakes Chamberlin! Keep it together!" Greevy yelled.

"That smell is awful," Chamberlin spluttered.

"Like a tiptoe through the tulips for a real soldier," the Sergeant shook his head. He couldn't stand weakness.

"Sir, we got a body," Smythe pointed to the bird and what he was eating.

"Oh geez," Petri shook his head.

"All right, which one of you is going to climb up there?" Greevy asked.


	9. Chapter 9

"Vultures were spotted over by Kiamo Ko yesterday along with a party of Gale Force soldiers. I fear our little incident has been discovered," Mestek explained to Fiyero and Elphaba, keeping his voice low, as the dawn's early rays began to light the world.

"Where did you get your information from?" Fiyero whispered, wanting to know just how reliable this information was.

"I have spies everywhere Master Scarecrow," the Owl winked at him.

"We are glad for it. What did the soldiers do?" Elphaba asked.

"They buried the body and headed back to the Emerald City. I worry that more troops could be only a day away," Mestek said.

"You're probably right and I'm in no condition to travel," Elphaba shook her head.

"I'm working on that. There are a few bears still hiding in caves as part of the underground network. If we could get to one of them then we may be able to arrange safe transport to the Impassable Desert," the Owl told them.

"I cannot fly until I heal up and we cannot pass through the Impassable Desert during the day. How have the others made it across?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"It turns out the Impassable Desert isn't as impassable as it sounds. While still a desert with its hazards, many of the larger birds were able to cross it and map out ideal places for crossing. It's a bit twisty and turny but when travelling by night, it can be done in about eight days," he explained.

"Eight days?" Fiyero looked at him wild eyed. That was a long time.

"How do they carry supplies?" Elphaba was looking at him incredulously.

"Mostly by cart. There is always a team waiting for them at the midway point with extras to help them get across and the team joins them to assist in the last leg of the journey. It's really a nice system especially since no one else is watching for anyone to come out of the desert or following them in," Mestek smiled.

"I guess so. How many have died along the way?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"A few but you are crossing a large desert at night so sometimes it can't be helped. The temperatures drop to near freezing and those with fur are usually fine. Those without are huddled in the carts to keep warm. They'd travel by day but then you'd have those with fur who could not relieve the heat without sucking down all the water," the Owl seemed to have an answer for everything and Elphaba felt a little better about it but still she worried that her condition could put others at risk. She was at least two or three days away from attempting to heal herself and they didn't have that kind of time.

"How are we going to shake your captors?" It was Mestek's turn to ask a question.

"That might not be as easy as originally thought. Azra will still be in danger after we leave. Mücahit is on the very edge of doing something drastic," Fiyero said.

"So what do you want to do?" Elphaba gave him a look.

"We have to take her with us. At least get her to another village somewhere where she can start over. Mücahit's anger easily boils over and when he discovers that we have left, he will likely kill Azra and blame it on you," the Scarecrow told them.

"How can you be so sure?" Mestek asked.

"Because despite Azra being a fiery woman, Mücahit is former Gale Force and he has the skills to kill her and no one would be the wiser. At first I couldn't remember the name or the face but his posture and rage soon came back to me. Mücahit was drilled out of the Gale Force because he almost beat a fellow soldier to death during an argument," Fiyero explained.

"So they turned him loose of the citizens of Oz?" Elphaba looked at him almost dumbstruck.

"Well after a few months in Southstairs, I guess so," he shrugged.

"Sweet Oz," Mestek shook his head.

"Get your contacts ready and tell them that there will be three who need transport. We may be able to use Azra's horse for some of the journey but not for the entire way," Elphaba looked at the Owl. He quickly saluted and was out the window as footsteps could be heard heading toward the room that Elphaba and Fiyero were locked in.


	10. Chapter 10

"You're certain it was Corporal Higgins?" Captain Asli asked.

"I'm sure as I can be. The rot was pretty bad sir but the uniform was definitely one of ours," Sergeant Greevy explained at their morning meeting. The others had been ordered to keep quiet until the Sergeant had spoken to the Captain. While Greevy trusted Smythe and Petri he worried that Chamberlin would complain to anyone who listened.

"Cause of death?" Asli wanted to know.

"I couldn't say but we found blood away from the body. He shot someone and it would seem they returned fire. The birds did a number on him," Greevy explained.

"Then the wounded party, climbed up a tree, stole his belongings, and left without a trace?" The Captain was a little unsure of how it all fit together.

"Well whatever or whomever he shot was gone when we got there. The stuff that could be used or sold might have been taken by bandits. They would spit on a Gale Force soldier before they robbed him of his things but they would not have any qualms about taking his things," the Sergeant said.

"True," Asli nodded.

"Also, if he did shoot a bandit, they would have grabbed their man and took off with him. Bandits may be a lot of things but they'd never leave one behind," Greevy told him.

"Also true but I fear that there is more to this than bandits. No bandit would go near Kiamo Ko since the Witch took it over," the Captain pointed out.

"Are you saying that Dorothy didn't destroy the Witch, sir?" His subordinate asked.

"Perhaps I'm looking into this too much but still the death of one of our own must not be tolerated. Round up fifty men and go into the woods. Search for any possible sightings of bandits. I want this nailed down so that no one can say that the Witch is alive. You and I both know that Dorothy killed her and we can't have rumors running wild because of Higgins' death," Asli ordered.

"Sir, do we really want to bring attention to the death of the Corporal? He was a major screw-up and if his record comes to light…" Greevy started.

"It would be regrettable but if the Council asks why we did not investigate the murder of one of our own, they could launch an entirely different investigation that I can assure you, no one on the Gale Force will like," Asli said.

"Very good sir. Shall I send the story to the paper? We might get more help from the locals of they know we aren't feeding them a bunch of bull," Greevy offered.

"I will give them the story. Perhaps it will divide some of the attention from Morrible's trial," the Captain mused.

"Is Lady Glinda winning, sir?" The Sergeant wanted to know. She wasn't part of the trial obviously but a good number of the soldiers wished for her to remain in power. When she took over Oz, she had instituted good things for the soldiers like more leave time and better pay.

"So far it seems that the prosecutor is doing his job to help Lady Glinda stay in power. Let us all hope that it stays that way," Asli gave him a nod of dismissal and then headed off to find the aforementioned blonde.

"I have a very large headache," Glinda moaned as she put her head down on the desk in front of her.

"Do you want me to get the doctor?" Her assistant asked. The two were in Glinda's office going over the latest financial reports. It wasn't something that the blonde fully understood but she wanted to have a list of questions to ask the Royal Economy Advisor so it wouldn't look like she didn't know what she was reading.

"No, I just need a break," the blonde admitted and she stood up from her desk. Just as she did there was a knock on her door.

"Enter," she called.

"Lady Glinda," Asli bowed.

"Mindy could you do me a favor? Can you get me some tea?" Glinda asked.

"Yes milady," with that Mindy was gone and the room was theirs.

"News from my soldiers, ma'am. Corporal Higgins was murdered. I have sent some more troops out to investigate and see if they can't track down the bandits responsible," the Captain said.

"Oh dear. Well I'm sure the good citizens of Oz will appreciate your due diligence. No sign of the Witch?" Glinda asked, despite hating the term.

"No but I have my suspicions," Asli admitted.

"Suspicions?" Glinda was confused but also curious. She got up close to him and he attempted to back away but she grabbed his arms with her tiny hands. Pressing herself as close as she could, she whispered,

"What are they?" This flustered the Captain but it was more than flustering which was going on as their bodies were pressed together and Glinda smiled slightly.

"Why don't you tell me all about your suspicions this evening after dinner? We'll meet right here and talk about them," she said in an almost normal tone of voice. There was a knock on the door and Glinda pulled back before heading for her seat. The Captain looked down at his current situation and became even more flustered as Mindy opened the door, with the tea.

"The Economy Advisor will be here in five minutes," she smiled without letting on that she saw the bulge in the Captain uniform.

"Very good. Thank you for your update Captain. We'll talk later," the blonde said. He gave a nod and then quickly and as gracefully as possible left the room to handle some business.


	11. Chapter 11

"Let me see if I have this right, you want me to help you escape," Azra asked looking at the green skinned woman and the Scarecrow. They had waited until Mücahit had gone outside to do his chores to talk, hoping they wouldn't get interrupted.

"Well yes but we also want to help you. When your husband finds us gone, we fear he'll take it out on you. In good conscience, we could not leave you to deal with him," Elphaba explained.

"I can handle myself," the woman gave her a look.

"No one is saying you can't but I fear that you do not know enough about your husband to realize just what he is capable of," Fiyero spoke up.

"How is it that you know?" Azra was curious as to what exactly they were trying to protect her from.

"He is former Gale Force, is he not?" Fiyero asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to get into all the details about himself. They still might need the cover.

"I was told he was. If he was, he never talks about it. Not that we talk much. This arrangement has not been good for either of us," the look in Azra's eyes seemed to tell Elphaba all she needed to know. There was a reason for their deep seated hatred of each other and it went much deeper than the fact that they didn't get along.

"All the more reason to come with us. You can start a new life in a new village somewhere, far away from him," Elphaba said.

"He will just return to my family and demand that my sister take my place. You have to understand. The reasons for this marriage were more than just the fact that my family couldn't afford having three daughters. My family works Mücahit's family farm to pay off the debt my father owes his father. As part of the deal, Mücahit was to marry the oldest daughter when she became of age. My older sister, Sara, died in the Great Plague ten years ago. I was then thrust into this position at a younger age. I am expected to bear him children to carry on the family name and create another farm in their quest to become even more wealthy landowners," she explained.  
"Then there is only one solution. We must get Mücahit arrested or perhaps more preferably dead," Fiyero clenched his fists.

"Dead is a little…" Elphaba started.

"Let him speak," Azra said, cutting her off.

"Considering that he is former Gale Force, he has already brought his family shame by being released from the service. Once you are in, it takes death or some serious incident to get you out before you've served your twenty years. This should actually make it easier for Mücahit to be arrested. Despite the problems that some Gale Forcers have of thinking for themselves, they frown on those that soil the uniform. Is there an outpost nearby that you could ride to?" Fiyero asked.

"There is one that is not that far. How does that help?" She gave him a look.

"The less distance there is the more likely someone will hear the ruckus and come to your aid or will report the sound of gunshots. Being out here, unless you're stockpiling ammunition, a gunshot will be out of place. Farm animals can be slaughtered without a gun…" he didn't get a chance to say any more as they suddenly heard the roaring of an angry bear outside.

"What the…" Azra got up from the chair she was sitting in and crossed to the window where she saw a large brown bear rear up on its hind legs and roar at her husband. Fiyero joined her at the window and realized that the arrival of Mestek's help had not gone unnoticed.


	12. Chapter 12

In the Emerald City, Glinda was enjoying some dessert, strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, one of her favorites, when Captain Asli, entered the Great Dining Hall. She smiled at him as a nearby servant rushed off to fetch the Captain some coffee and dessert.

"I thought we were supposed to meet after dinner," the blonde said.

"Well technically…" the Captain didn't finish as the coffee and dessert were placed in front of him.

"Technically speaking I guess dessert is after dinner but I imagine you didn't come all the way down here to tell me that," Glinda smiled before eating some of the luscious dessert.

"I did not. We just received word from one of our outposts that there was a bear attack in the woods," Asli explained.

"Surely that happens more often than not. After all most are starting to clear wooded areas to begin farms correct? Disturbing a wild animal's habitat can be dangerous," Glinda said, wondering why the Captain would bring this to her.

"Yes, the farmer was clearing trees and must have upset the animal. He was unable to get to his rifle in time and the bear killed him. His wife watched helplessly from the home as the bear used its claws to split him open. She had to wait until the bear left before riding to the outpost and reporting what happened," Asli told her.

"That is quite awful. Is she in need of compensation? Did he husband have any pension or something from working here in the Emerald City?" The blonde asked.

"Her husband was kicked out of the Gale Force under my predecessor, Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus," the name made Glinda choke on her strawberries and the Captain quickly came to her aid. He helped her get some water and made sure she was all right.

"You paled considerably milady, are you sure you're all right?" Asli asked as she ushered him to sit back down.

"You must forgive me, even after all this time, it is still hard to hear his name," she reassured him.

"I am sorry for mentioning it but when the report came in, some of the men wanted to set up a fund for the widow. Of course, something like this needs your blessing, as the Gale Force's Widow's Fund doesn't exactly hand out money to the families of those who have been drummed out of the service," the Captain said.

"Do they know the widow? Is she in trouble?" Glinda wanted to know.

"They did not know her but they knew that being married to the man had to be difficult. When she spilled to the local Sergeant that her husband had been abusing her, he decided that giving her some money to move on with her life, was the least we could do. The Sergeant is attempting to get word to her family to come help her with the home and property," he told her.

"Very good. I'll allow a deduction from the Widow's Fund and allow the men to take up a collection if they wish," the blonde smiled.

"Thank you. I'll pass the word to my men," he smiled back.

"Excellent. Now if we could adjourn to my private quarters to discuss the other items you mentioned this morning?" She asked. He stood from his seat and then helped her from her own.

"Your private quarters? Isn't that a little improper?" The Captain swallowed hard.

"Hardly. They are much more comfortable than my office and we are less likely to be disturbed," Glinda said as they exited the Great Dining Hall and headed down to her suite. Once inside, she carefully locked the door, for added privacy.

"Now before we get into your suspicions. Let us get into mine," she told him as she offered him a seat in a comfortable overstuffed armchair. He nodded and took the seat but before he could say anything, the blonde parked herself in his lap.

"Milady, I…"

"I have been having this sneaking suspicion that you want to be more than Lady Glinda and Captain of the Guard," she silenced him. For such an upright man, he blushed quite frequently.

"My own desires must be set aside. I am Captain of the Guard," he stumbled over the words.

"Just because you are Captain of the Guard, does not mean you need to deprive yourself," she giggled before giving his thigh a little grind of her backside. Asli reacted immediately by attempting to lift her off of him but she put a hand on his bicep.

"You can't tell me that what happened in my office this morning was an accident. You are truly a gentleman and I could see how embarrassed you were. There is no need to be embarrassed. We all have wants and needs and every once in a while, we need to fill those desires," she smiled coyly as his body reacted to her words.

"I… I…" the usually confident man stuttered. This time he was silenced by her lips on his. This time he didn't argue but kissed her back. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted the two of them from the chair and found his way into the bedroom.


	13. Chapter 13

"Do you think Azra will be all right?" Elphaba asked as they holed themselves up in the Bear's cave. It was too dangerous to be out on the road tonight as the moon was hidden by the storm clouds that were rolling in. A patrol had been sent out to see if the Bear who killed Mücahit could be found. Little did the Gale Force outpost know that the Bear, whose name was Paddington, had a head start for the woods. After Mücahit was killed, Azra helped Elphaba out of the cottage and onto Paddington's back. Fiyero had then helped her make sure there was no hint that anyone other than the married couple were living in the home, in case the Gale Force wanted to investigate. Everything they had brought with them, they were leaving with, and then Fiyero made sure that Azra's rifle wouldn't work so that it would have appeared she could not have helped her husband.

"She'll be fine. We grabbed everything we had and no one saw us leave. The Gale Force won't waste a lot of time looking for the bear anyway. The only way this gets dragged out is if Mücahit's parents want an investigation. Even then, they won't get a full one. He was a disgrace after all," he tried to reassure her.

"Did he really have to die? So many people have died in the name of the Wicked Witch," Elphaba shook her head.

"Many have died because of the Wizard's lies. Not because of you," Fiyero said.

"That doesn't answer my question," she pointed out.

"It was the only way we were going to be able to escape. As much as we can trust Azra, we both know that we could not trust Mücahit," he told her. She nodded. The moment that Fiyero and Mestek had been spotted Mücahit's fate had been sealed.

"Besides, I think he knew I was former Gale Force. It would just lead to more questions that other people would want answers to," Fiyero pointed out.

"Please move closer to the fire," Paddington said as he tilted his head. A rumble of thunder sounded and the rain began to fall from the sky.

"The damp will be setting in soon and while Master Fiyero would not want to catch fire, we all would like Lady Elphaba to be comfortable and able to heal," the Bear pointed out. He had washed up and was getting together some food for his guests.

"Thank you for all that you've done," Elphaba smiled slightly as Fiyero helped her move cautiously closer to the warmth of the fire. They were deep enough in the cave that the smoke would head out through the cracks and crevices that made up part of the mountain. It was an excellent hiding spot that could not be easily found from the mouth of the cave.

"Anything for you, Lady Elphaba. You have no idea how many you have saved. My service has only just started," he smiled.

"You don't have to give me such a title. Please just call me Elphaba," she smiled back.

"As you wish," Paddington nodded and then handed her a plate with berries and what appeared to be rabbit.

"Thank you," Elphaba nodded and tucked into the food, surprised at how hungry she was.

"How is your strength?" Fiyero asked.

"I'm not fit to do much still I'm afraid. Maybe in a day or two," she shrugged slightly.

"The search for me will be called off thanks to the rain. The dogs won't be able to track us as long as we wait until the ground has had a chance to harden. Don't want to leave a trail of footprints considering the rain washed away our scent," Paddington said.

"I will stand the first watch to see if anyone comes near," Mestek told them.

"Not a bad idea. There's a back door out of here. It adds two days to our journey but it would get us away from the Gale Force," the Bear explained.

"Good to know," Fiyero smiled. Elphaba had grown quiet and he looked over at his beloved. He could tell she was deep in thought by the look on her face.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He asked.

"I'm just hoping that Glinda will be all right. I miss her," the green girl admitted.

"I know. Me too. I'm sure she'll be fine. The man who took my place as Captain is a good one. He'll keep her safe and out of trouble," Fiyero smiled. The thunder boomed again, echoing throughout the cave, and the rain pounded down harder.

"Wow. You have a life raft in case we need it?" Mestek asked.

"Let us hope that we aren't repeating the Great Flood," Paddington shook his head. Miles away in the Emerald City, there were two people who could have cared less about the weather as they got lost in one another. Both glad that they hadn't waited any longer to get together; both unaware of what would happen next.


	14. Chapter 14

The morning saw relief from the storms as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Glinda awoke when the sun filtered in through the curtains in her bedroom. She grumbled slightly and then rolled over to discover her bedfellow was missing and he had left a note.

_Lady Glinda,_

_Forgive my absence this morning. I thought it best that I not get caught by your assistant when she comes to wake you. When you have some free time, please come and find me. There is much to discuss. Forever yours, Asli_

It wasn't much of a love note but it still made her smile. It had been one heck of a night and the blonde was glad that the thunderstorm had been so loud. It had been a long time since she'd had someone share her bed and she was sure she was louder than she would have liked. Of course, it helped that the good Captain really seemed to know what he was doing. The blonde smirked as she thought about that and climbed out of bed. Heading for the bathroom, she knew she had better get cleaned up before Mindy arrived.

Not long after getting ready, her assistant did in fact arrive, and quickly explained that the prosecutor, Mr. Yuri, wanted to see her for a breakfast meeting. The blonde was a little nervous about it considering that the trial had so far been going their way. Mindy said that she'd heard some rumors that Morrible had lost her cool during the testimony of one of the Gale Force soldiers who had been ordered to deliver a message to the Wizard. He had read the message, on accident, when the wax seal had broken in a collision with a maid, who had been carrying a multitude of cleaning items and could not see where she was going. He had dutifully helped her, pick up the items, but then also noticed the letter was open. He read it quickly before turning into the Wizard's office. Luckily, the Wizard had heard the commotion in the hall and was not surprised by the fact the letter was opened.

The fish woman had tried to break out of the magic-proof cell, that Glinda had had located inside the courtroom, so there would be no question of her aiding in her own defense. Needless to say, the trial had had to be stopped and Morrible thrown back into her cell at Southstairs. Now as the blonde and her assistant headed down to breakfast, Glinda twirled her hair with her fingers, a sign that she was nervous.

"Milady, you're going to rip your hair out," Mindy spoke up as Glinda fiddled with her hair at the breakfast table, instead of eating her pancakes.

"I suppose you're right," the blonde admitted but didn't stop playing with her hair.

"Mr. Yuri, to see you, ma'am," the guard at the door announced and Glinda told him to send the prosecutor in.

"Mr. Yuri, I hope that this is a visit to tell me you have Morrible nailed to the wall," she spoke up as the man entered the Great Dining Hall.

"I feel we might finally have her backed into a corner but I'm going to need your help. After yesterday's performance, I'm sure that the defense will want to call Morrible to the stand in her own defense. As you said, though, we can't let her do that," Yuri explained.

"You're very right. She'll lie through her teeth but worse still is that she might try to enchant someone when she opens her mouth," Glinda nodded.

"Can you make the stand magic-proof like the cell that she stays in?" Yuri asked.

"I will do that right after we're done here," she nodded.

"Excellent. Now, I just want to remind you that the jury will decide if she is guilty but ultimately, you will have the final say in the sentence since you are now the ruler of Oz and she is being charged with treason," he told her.

"Yes, I know and I have yet to make up my mind how I feel about that. Ultimately, I have no choice in the matter really anyway. When she is convicted, death is the sentence," Glinda said.

"True but you will get to choose how she dies. Firing squad, hanging, burning at the stake, and the like," Yuri explained.

"Ah I had not realized that," the blonde admitted, suddenly not feeling all that hungry. While she hated Morrible for all that she had done, she hadn't really thought about the prospect of choosing how she would die. That was something ugly to think about. Shaking her head, she finished her breakfast and then followed Yuri down to the courtroom.

Out in the woods, the silence of the cave was broken by a loud scream. It echoed off the walls and bounced its way down to the entrance, signaling the Scarecrow guarding the entrance that something bad was happening.


	15. Chapter 15

"What's going on?" Fiyero asked as he approached Paddington and Mestek. Both Animals had managed to get the screaming under control to prevent them being discovered but they were at a loss as to why Elphaba had been screaming. Fiyero could see that she was covered in sweat and breathing very heavily which had to be hurting her, given the wounds she was recovering from.

"We must make all haste for the Emerald City!" Elphaba declared.

"I mean this in the best possible way but have you lost your mind?! Every Gale Force officer at the gates will never let you pass, not to mention that there will be soldiers along the way to get there," Mestek said.

"He does bring up a good point. Why do we need to get back to the Emerald City?" Paddington asked a little nicer than his cohort had.

"Glinda's in danger! If we do not get to the Emerald City quickly we will not be in time to stop Morrible!" Elphaba explained. Her breathing had slowed to a normal rate but she was obviously still upset.

"Did you have a vision?" Fiyero asked, to which both Mestek and Paddington looked back and forth at the two lovers, very confused.

"I saw it Fiyero! Glinda is not strong enough to fend off that fish woman alone!" It was at this point that the green-green skinned woman tried to get out of bed.

"Oh no you don't. You are not ready for that; especially since you aren't ready to heal yourself," Paddington stopped her.

"If we don't leave now we won't make it in time!" Elphaba tried to argue.

"It's a three day ride to the Emerald City from here," Mestek pointed out.

"Glinda doesn't have that long! What is going to happen is going to happen today!" Elphaba again tried to get up off the bed and again Paddington stopped her.

"The only way to get there then is to fly. You are in no condition for that and flying during daylight hours will not exactly keep you hidden," Fiyero said.

"It won't matter what happens to me if Morrible returns to power!" She was really getting frustrated with them.

"Well we definitely can't have that. Prepare for the journey. I need to wake a friend," with that Mestek took off in flight. Fiyero gave Paddington a look and the Bear just shrugged, unsure as to what the Owl had meant as his cohorts were.

"Let's get some food in you while we wait for him. You still need your strength and you'll really need it if you are going to take on Morrible," the Bear smiled and got back to his work which he'd started before all the screaming had started.

"I'll help you get cleaned up and check your stitches. Don't want to pull any of those out," Fiyero smiled slightly. They began their work with Elphaba constantly looking back to see if Mestek had returned. The group did not have to wait long as suddenly Elphaba stiffened.

"What is it?" Fiyero asked. He didn't get a response in the form of words but instead in the sound that reverberated through the cave.

"My guess is that Mestek is back," Paddington scooped up Elphaba and headed to the entrance of the cave. The three exited their hiding spot and almost passed out at the sight before them. From their spot on the ground, all they could see were dark colored scales, a mix of browns and black, along with a lightly colored set on the creature's stomach.

"Miss Elphaba, it is an honor to meet you," the dragon bowed his head.

"And I you. I feared you had all been killed," Elphaba was all smiles while the others were silently quaking in the spots where they stood.

"I am the last of my kind. My name is Avantador, Protector of Life. Mestek tells me that there is a mission of the utmost importance in the Emerald City and that you need help," he smiled.

"Glinda is in grave danger. We must stop Morrible," she explained.

"You need to say nothing more. I will heal you and then we will ride," Avantador nodded.


	16. Chapter 16

Glinda watched from her seat, right behind the prosecutor's table in the gallery, as the guards brought Morrible into the courtroom. The fish woman was shackled heavily with irons that Glinda had enchanted herself. They made her unable to perform magic with her hands but regrettably couldn't stop her mouth, which was why a special cell had been constructed in the court room and Glinda had enchanted that. No magic could be performed from inside the cell. The witness stand was a little trickier because it wasn't totally enclosed. The blonde performed a couple of spells and the shackles were to remain on the defendant's wrists while she sat there.

What the blonde didn't know is that one of her sympathizers down in the cells of Southstairs had given her a way out of the shackles – a nail from their bed. The witch had been given only a wooden board and a straw-filled mattress to lie on, seeing as Glinda feared she would try to use something in her cell to escape. The former Advisor to the Wizard was grateful and promised her fellow inmate the world for his assistance.

During the night Morrible had been practicing on how to free her hands from the shackles while they were hidden from view in her lap. This would be her only chance to get rid of the blonde and she had to take it. Now as the guards put her into the enchanted cell, she simply smirked at Glinda and a chill ran up the young woman's spine.

"All rise! Court is now in session! The honorable Judge Willow presiding!" The bailiff announced. Everyone rose and then were told to be seated by the judge.

"The defense may call its last witness," the older man said gruffly. The defense attorney, Bora Accente, nodded, stood, and said,

"The defense calls Madame Morrible to the stand." Some gasps were heard but not many were surprised considering what happened in court in recent days. The guards released her from the cell, moved her to the stand, and quickly stood close by.

"Lady Glinda has enchanted the witness stand so that only the truth could be spoken. We will swear you in as procedure requires nonetheless," Willow instructed to which Morrible nodded and she was then quickly sworn in. The judge indicated for the defense attorney to start and he nodded.

"Madame Morrible, are the charges against you justified?" Accente asked.

"Objection! How is her answer relevant?" Yuri wanted to know.

"Your Honor, it goes to the smearing my client has had to endure," Accente rebutted.

"Move along, Mr. Accente. I believe every defendant would say the charges are not justified," Willow shook his head. The defense attorney gave a slight scowl and returned to his client.

"How long did you serve the Wizard?" Accente asked.

"From the time he arrived until the time I was arrested," Morrible responded, fiddling with her shackles.

"So many years and in those many years, did he ever ask you to do something that you did not want to do?" Her lawyer wanted to know.

"Of course but he was the All Powerful Wizard. How could I object?" It was a surprise to even Morrible that she answered that way, especially considering that she'd given the Wizard most of his ideas. Perhaps the blonde's spell hadn't worked as well as she thought. Another smirk crossed her face as the shackles clicked open.

"What would the Wizard have done to you if you had objected?" He inquired.

"Nothing! I was always more powerful than he was!" She crowed as she stood from her seat, the shackles now off of her hands. She then climbed onto her seat, onto the wooden casework in front of her, and over the casework, all in one fell swoop. The witch was free and nothing could stop her magic now. The people in the courtroom screamed and began heading for the exits as Glinda stood from her seat.

"I'll get you my pretty and your little Captain of the Guard too!" Morrible crowed as lightening left her fingertips.


	17. Chapter 17

The bolt of lightning hit a well-timed bubble creation by the blonde and deflected away towards the ceiling of the courthouse. Morrible nearly snarled at Glinda before she tried again. The blonde ducked and cursed at the same time. She heard the door open and he unmistakable sound of Gale Force boots hitting the floor.

"Morrible you're under arrest! Surrender and no one gets hurt!" It was Asli. The blonde knew what would happen to him and knew she had to act fast. Crawling along the floor, she reached the aisle in time to hear Morrible exclaim,

"Oh I think the only one getting hurt today is you and that blonde bitch!" A bolt of lightning left her fingertips as the Gale Force unleashed a volley of bullets but the witch was too powerful. The bullets stopped in mid-air and dropped to the floor as Glinda jumped out in front of the lightening, taking a direct hit to abdomen.

"Glinda!" Asli screamed as the singed blonde hit the floor. He covered her body with his as another shot of lightening came straight for them. Suddenly the roof of the building exploded, knocking everyone to the ground and sending Morrible's shot harmlessly into a wall.

"That will be quite enough of that!" Elphaba boomed as she entered what remained of the building via her broom. Above her, Fiyero and Paddington sat on Avantador's back and Mestek flew in to scan the crowd for injuries.

"I guess there are two bitches I need to deal with. Seems you're not so allergic to water after all Miss Elphaba and you've made some new friends," Morrible smirked as she looked at the dragon.

"The art of deception, something you taught me without even realizing it," Elphaba smirked too.

"I've already downed your pathetic little friend," the former teacher said as an energy ball formed in between her hands. Elphaba charged at the fish woman with her broom, her own energy ball forming.

"Die!" Morrible shouted as she released the ball. It missed its target as it hit the ball the green-skinned woman had released. Elphaba quickly dismounted from her broom to take the witch on her own turf.

"Your anger makes you sloppy," the younger woman smirked as she released a bolt of lightning striking Morrible right in the chest. The older woman flew backwards and landed with a thud. She lie motionless and Elphaba was about to finish her off when she heard a cry from Mestek.

"Glinda is dying!" The green woman swirled around and rushed to her friend's side.

"Elphie?" The blonde managed to choke out as her breathing became more labored.

"I'm here my sweet. Just rest and I'll take care of you," Elphaba promised as she quickly checked her friend over. Asli wasn't sure what to do but he knew that by their terms of endearment that their relationship was much different than friend or foe. His attention was pulled away from his beloved as the Scarecrow and a rather large Bear were deposited on the scene by a very large hand from above. Elphaba looked to Fiyero who nodded, swinging his rifle in Morrible's direction. He moved toward the seemingly unconscious woman when Paddington whistled. It was an alarm and before Fiyero had a chance to react he found himself on fire from one of Morrible's lightning bolts. He screamed in agony while Paddington tried to put out the flames.

"Yero!" Elphaba screamed. It was then that Avantador had had enough. Ordinarily he did not fight, as he was to protect life, but it was clear that the only way to protect it was to kill. His big hand swooped over to Morrible and grabbed her. She let out a scream as he picked her up.

"You have hurt the good citizens of Oz for the last time!" He boomed. His voice would carry for miles, shake the mountains in the distance, and shattered Morrible's eardrums. She wouldn't be needing them where she was going anyway as Avantador opened his mouth and swallowed her whole.


	18. Chapter 18

Elphaba's focus shifted from the death of Morrible to the impending death of her friend. Glinda had stopped breathing and the green skinned woman knew she didn't have long to act. She could almost feel the guns pointed at her by the Gale Force soldiers who had remained on their feet. Tuning them out, she started to chant in a language that only she would now understand and a small electrical bolt left her hands, hitting Glinda in the chest.

"I'm still not getting any breathing," Mestek said. Elphaba shook her head and tried again.

"Now I've got something. Very shallow," the Owl confirmed. Elphaba made a move to check the charred area of the blonde's midsection when she felt the business end of a rifle at the back of her head.

"Move and you die," the soldier ground out through his teeth.

"I need to check her wound. She could be bleeding internally," Elphaba argued.

"We have doctors to help her. She doesn't need your help," he said.

"Drop your weapon Corporal. The Witch just saved Lady Glinda, the one true ruler of Oz. You will let her finish what she started," the Captain said as he stood to his full height.

"You will indeed or I will finish what I started. Humans give me heartburn but I would gladly suffer it for Miss Elphaba," the booming voice of Avantador let them know that the dragon had not left his post.

"Do you require my assistance, Miss Elphaba?" The dragon's attention shifted to his new friends.

"Please check on Yero for me. I can help Lin," she said.

"As you wish," Avantador nodded and set his hand back inside the building. Paddington loaded the injured Scarecrow onto the dragon's hand and let the magical creature take a look.

"What do you need Miss Elphaba?" Asli asked as he watched her look at the wound on Glinda's midsection. There was singed skin and blood but it looked as though the lightening had scorched and sealed the wound.

"I just need a minute. I don't want to use the wrong spell," she told him. He nodded and backed up. The first spell that Elphaba began to chant would tell her just how bad things were. As her magic travelled the course of her friend's body looking for trouble, she gasped when it found something she wasn't expecting. She looked up at Asli and he gave her a confused look.

"There's more damage than I thought," she lied not sure if the news she had should be broken in front of a crowd.

"Should we move her?" The Captain asked.

"No but I'm going to need a little privacy. I need to remove parts of her dress," that wasn't true but she wanted to be the first one to tell the blonde what she found before anyone else.

"I can't do that entirely but how about we send the troops out to get the doctor and guard the door?" Asli wondered.

"That would be fine," she nodded. Asli turned and sent his men out of the room along with any straggling civilians. Then to make a show of it, Elphaba carefully peeled back the portions of scorched dress. Glinda hissed in pain and that told her that the blonde was still there and wanting to fight.

"I'm sorry my sweet. Hang in there," Elphaba gave her friend's hand a squeeze before casting the spell that she needed to. Glinda gasped in pain as the magic did its work healing the wound. Carefully the green skinned woman pulled her friend into her lap and held her, stroking her head and whispering something that Asli could not pick up on. He narrowed his eyes as Glinda squeezed Elphaba's hand.

"Is she going to be all right?" He asked.

"She will be but she'll need some rest," Elphaba nodded.

"Good," Asli moved to the door and opened it, the soldiers ushered the Royal Physician over to the blonde. He saw the green woman and stopped before he composed himself and then knelt down onto the floor.

"She should be fine. She'll just need a few days' rest," Elphaba explained as she handed her friend over carefully to the two men with the stretcher.

"You'll have to teach me how you did that," the doctor marveled at her work.

"I'm afraid it is my magic that did the work," she confessed. It was very rare to have someone powerful enough to heal people with their magic. Elphaba figured with Morrible gone that probably left only her with the ability.

"Well all of Oz is grateful for saving Lady Glinda," he said with a smile.

"So are all of us here," Avantador said as he placed Fiyero back on the floor of the now broken courtroom.

"Good as new," the dragon smiled at the now sleeping Scarecrow. Elphaba's eyes lit up however as the once man made of straw was now once again flesh and bone. She rushed to his side and scooped him up into her arms. He was warm and he was breathing.

"Oh Yero," she murmured before looking up at her new friend.

"Thank you," she said.

"Think nothing of it, Miss Elphaba. I hate to ruin the party but we must be on our way. My presence has attracted quite a bit of attention," he said.

"I imagine so. Take Paddington and Mestek and go as fast as your wings will carry you," Elphaba told him.

"I cannot leave you and Master Fiyero," Avantador protested.

"Go," she ordered and he nodded before scooping up Paddington. Mestek landed on her shoulder with the intention of staying but she shook her head "no".

"Be free my loyal friend," Elphaba gave him a peck on the beak and the Owl cried before flying away. The dragon lifted off and flew into the distance, the Gale Force in awe of the magical creature and knowing their bullets would be wasted on him.

"As Captain of the Guard I am hereby arresting Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Prince Fiyero Tiggular for crimes against the Citizens of Oz. I am sorry," Asli said. It was then that the soldiers yanked Fiyero out of her arms and dragged him away before hauling her to her feet and leading her away.


	19. Chapter 19

Glinda awoke in an unfamiliar room and then realized as the fog that had covered her brain lifted that she was in fact in the infirmary. When she tried to sit up, the nurse quickly scolded her and forced her to lie back down before calling the doctor over.

"Ah Lady Glinda, I'm so glad to see you awake," he smiled.

"I'm glad to be awake too Doctor. I dreamt that Morrible was dead and that the Witch had saved me," she was playing coy in case her best friend had managed to escape.

"Morrible is in fact dead but I'm afraid that Miss Elphaba is down in the dungeon. The Captain ordered her and Prince Tiggular arrested after Miss Elphaba saved you," the doctor responded.

"What?!" She said that a little too loudly and a little too forcefully as it surprised everyone around her.

"I'm sorry, I must not be feeling very well still," she apologized.

"It's all right. I was surprised as well. Miss Elphaba could have ended you and everyone else in that room but she did not. Instead, she saved you. My guess is that the Wizard and Morrible were selling a lot of lies," the doctor said.  _You have no idea_ , Glinda thought to herself.

"Please summon Captain Asli. I must speak to him at once," the blonde said aloud.

"I shall but please try to get some more rest. You took quite a shot from Morrible," he told her as he turned to the nurse who nodded and disappeared. She went out into the hallway, found a guard, and told him Glinda's request. He nodded and went off to find the Captain.

Down in the dungeon, Elphaba stroked Fiyero's hair as he lay on the bed in the cell. Surprisingly, they had allowed her to bunk with her beloved but she worried that he had yet to wake up despite the fact that it had been almost twenty-four hours since their arrest. She had no idea that the news of the death of Morrible, the sighting of the dragon, and the fact that she saved Glinda from certain death was spreading like wildfire but she got the surprise of her life when a guard came down the hallway with a familiar figure next to him.

"Chistery!" She exclaimed as she left the Prince and headed for the bars. She couldn't believe the flying monkey had risked to come and see her.

"Miss Elphaba!" He replied. The green skinned woman almost had a heart attack when the monkey spoke.

"You can speak!" She was happy to see him and to hear him.

"I am getting lessons from Mrs. Dillamond," he smiled. That made Elphaba smile. If the Goat had been able to teach Chistery than Professor Dillamond must be getting better as well. The Dillamonds had escaped to Ix which meant that Chistery had led his brethren there too. That's when she got confused. How did the news of her capture reach Ix that quickly?

"Avantador," Chistery spoke as if he knew what she was thinking. They had always been a good team.

"Why have you come?" She suddenly wondered if the dragon sent the monkey so that he would get himself in trouble.

"We are ready. We are waiting," the words didn't make sense at first and then her eyes widened.

"Chistery, stay safe. I could not live with myself if something bad happened to you or your brothers," Elphaba told him.

"We are only safe when you are safe," he said.

"Fiyero and I will be fine. You must enjoy your freedom. Please do it for me," Elphaba pleaded with him, afraid that the monkeys would do something foolish in order to break her out or get themselves killed in the attempt.

"Do what for you?" Asli, who appeared from around the corner, asked.


	20. Chapter 20

Elphaba stood up straight and gave the Captain look which he could not decipher. Both were still trying to figure out which side the other was on and neither would trust anyone so easily, a result of their line of work.

"Live free and never return to the Emerald City," there was a chill in her voice and Chistery turned to the Captain of the Guard and bared his teeth. Asli remained as cool as a cucumber however and replied,

"Well that would be a shame. Lady Glinda is working very hard to fix what the Wizard and Morrible had done. In fact, now that Morrible is dead, things should be much easier."

"While I believe in Glinda, I do not believe the peoples of Oz will ever let go of their hatred. Morrible and Wizard just exploited what lie beneath the surface. Once that gate is opened it will not close so easily," Elphaba said.

"You have little faith in the good peoples of Oz," he remarked.

"Perhaps because there are so few of them," the witch responded. To this the Captain raised his eyebrows and nodded for he knew what she meant. Some of the people had been led astray but hatred of one another had been brewing for a while. It was why places such as Munchkinland and the Vinkus had kept much to themselves. The laws enacted by the Wizard drove a wedge into the already widening hole and nearly severed toes completely had it not been for Glinda. Everyone seemed to adore her and she often used it to her advantage.

"Escort Mr. Chistery outside. Lady Glinda has asked for Miss Elphaba to be brought to her," Asli said to the guard. He nodded and Chistery looked at Elphaba one more time. She gave him a rare smile and the Winged Monkey seemed to understand. With that both he and the guard left.

"What about Fiyero?" Elphaba asked.

"I'll make sure someone is here in case he wakes up," he promised her. She nodded and stuck her arms through the slot where the abhorrent food was pushed through, expecting to be cuffed. Instead Asli just opened the door.

"I think we both know that cuffs would be a waste of time. You could have broken out of here at any time," he said. She smirked before thanking him with a nod. They then headed upstairs to the infirmary where Glinda had been moved into a private room.

When the blonde saw her friend, she wanted to wrap her arms around her in a big hug and smack her across the face at the same time. She was glad that Elphaba was alive but angry that she had lied to her about her escape from Kiamo Ko.

"Thank you Asli. I really appreciate it," the blonde smiled from her bed. The Captain closed the door and said,

"Anything for you Miss Glinda." It was then that Elphaba noticed something about the two of them as they looked at each other and she smirked.

"Elphie don't give that look," Glinda said forgetting herself for a moment. Elphaba was about to say something when the Captain interrupted,

"I think I need to be read in here. The two of you seem to know each other fairly well."

"Better than you'd think," Elphaba smiled slightly. Glinda turned slightly pink like the gown that she had on and the Captain quirked an eyebrow.

"What exactly…" he started but Glinda cut him off.

"Elphie, we should be honest with you. Asli and I have started a relationship and I…" this time her friend cut her off.

"So what I found makes sense then," the blonde just nodded.

"Found what?" Asli asked. Elphaba looked at Glinda as it was not her secret to tell.

"I guess our night together has a little more significance than we both realized. I'm pregnant," the blonde told him. Asli almost lost his footing and Elphaba caught him and helped him to a chair next to the bed.

"Oh Miss Glinda…" at first she was worried that he would be upset but her fears were eased slightly when he took her hand in his and kissed it. He wanted to do more but he felt it would be rather inappropriate considering they had company.

"You're not upset?" Glinda asked.

"Upset? No milady. I could not be happier. I know we just started something and this is quite unexpected but I'm not going anywhere. We will have a life together and it will be a little tough but by the time the little one comes, we'll be ready," he sounded so confident that Glinda burst into tears. It wasn't the ideal situation for her either and to be honest, since the "deaths" of Fiyero and Elphaba, she'd been on an emotional roller coaster and had been a little wild and crazy. Asli left his seat and climbed into the bed with her and pulled her close. Kissing her forehead, he smiled.

"So now that we know, I guess you and I will need to get married in short order. The Council will not be happy when they find out. As much as I could care less about them, we need them to help us bring about the change that we want," he said, bringing them back to reality.

"Only if Elphie and Fiyero can be there," Glinda said as she dried her eyes.

"Oh I think that will be one tall order," Elphaba spoke up.

"I already have a plan Elphie," Glinda smirked.

"Only if you fill me in on how you two know each other. We need to keep as much information private as we can," Asli said.

"No. No more lies about me, Elphie, and Fifi. The truth comes out and it comes out now," the blonde put her foot down.

"Fifi?" Asli asked.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets a little emotionally heavy toward the end. There is mention of possible self harm.

"The deceit runs much deeper than I could have ever imagined," Asli shook his head as Glinda finished filling in her new love.

"It gets worse," the blonde swallowed.

"How could it possibly?" Elphaba rolled her eyes. Glinda pointed to her purse which had been brought down to her by her assistant. Under the makeup kits and hair accessories was something she needed to show her friend. Asli grabbed it and handed it to her.

"The Wizard left because I made him. The truth of what he had done was too much," the blonde said as she reached inside the purse and pulled out a small green bottle. Elphaba's jaw dropped.

"That was my Mother's. I have it," she said.

"You do but this bottle didn't come from your mother, it came from the Wizard," Glinda's words hit the green woman like a ton of bricks.

"I suspect that your father did all those horrible things to you because you were a constant reminder of your mother's transgressions. Well that and he was crazy," she continued.

"But he made Mother eat those awful milkflowers. Why would he do that if he suspected my mother cheated on him?" Elphaba asked.

"He might have had suspicions about the cheating but there was no way to know the liquid contained in the bottle was the actual cause of your green skin," Glinda said.

"I don't know what's worse – my real father having set me up for doom since I was born or having to suffer most of my life with a man who never loved me despite the fact that he was supposed to be my father," Elphaba heaved a sigh and leaned back heavily on the chair she sat in.

"I'm so sorry Elphie," Glinda said. She reached out for her friend whom, she could not reach, and Asli removed himself from the bed and helped Elphaba get next to her friend. The green girl began to cry, something most people did not think her capable of.

"I will let you two be and check on Prince Fiyero," Asli said quietly before exiting the room. The blonde let her friend cry until it seemed that she was completely spent.

"What did I do?" Elphaba asked.

"You didn't do anything Elphie. You have always been yourself and it is because of that people have been rude and mean and hurtful," Glinda told her.

"I must get back to my cell. We can't have any impropriety. You have to keep your distance from me," the green woman said, trying to get up the tiny blonde's grip tightened however and Elphaba looked at her.

"I thought I had lost you Elphie and I couldn't take that. I'm not losing you again," Glinda said.

"I'm not sure you have much of a choice Lin," Elphaba argued.

"You faked yours and Fiyero's deaths so that people would believe you had gone. You told no one and it hurt to find out the way I had to. Why didn't you tell me?" Glinda asked, recalling the last moments they shared at Kiamo Ko.

"It was too risky. The people of Oz adore you and it needs to stay that way. I am what they fear. I am what goes bump in the night," Elphaba explained.

"You can't say that about yourself. I don't think that way about you. Fiyero must not think that way about you. For Oz sakes Elphie, you have a dragon on your side," the blonde told her.

"That remains to be seen. The dragon sent Chistery here along with his brother Flying Monkeys," the green skinned woman shook her head.

"Great Oz," Glinda murmured.

"I made Chistery promise to leave and I think he'll take my advice," Elphaba shrugged.

"I hope so," the blonde agreed. Silence fell between them for a few moments until Elphaba worked up the courage to ask,

"So you didn't wait until marriage huh?" Glinda was about to shoot daggers at her friend but she supposed that it would do no good. After all, she had gotten herself into this and she had dragged Asli in with her.

"I have been in a bad place since you and Fiyero "died". Emotionally I just gave up. If you two, two of the bravest people I know, didn't make it out, I figured nothing mattered anymore, except taking up your cause. I have done a lot since your disappearance that I'm not proud of. Though, I do not regret giving my heart and soul to Asli. He is a good man," Glinda explained.

"You were always a wild one back at school. I was the uptight one," Elphaba pointed out.

"Elphie I have been doing things; things that I didn't do back in college. I've been losing my sense of self," the blonde wasn't sure how to word it exactly.

"How?" Elphaba began to grow worried for her friend.

"I provoked Asli into our little tryst. I mean he always seemed to like me more than he was letting on and I may have showed my interest by grinding up against him," Glinda began to blush. Elphaba didn't say anything but her eyebrows did go up a little.

"I've also been hitting the wine at dinner pretty hard and it's to the point that the chef always has two bottles on hand," her friend continued.

"Well grief and stress does odd things to people. I wouldn't call that entirely shocking but I would hope that I can help you de-stress a little," the green woman took Glinda's hand in hers.

"Elphie, that's not the worst of it," the blonde started.

"What? Did you kill someone?" Elphaba gave her a quizzical look. She could see the blonde struggling with what she was trying to say and the green woman prodded slightly.

"Look no matter what you did, I will always be your friend. You and Fiyero are the only family I have left. I'm not giving up on you," she told her.

"I almost gave up on myself," the words were barely above a whisper.

"Lin?" Elphaba grew more concerned now.

"I climbed up to the highest turret on the palace and walked to the edge of the balcony. I was literally a step away from ending it all. I'm not strong like you Elphie. I didn't think I could continue living without you and Fiyero," Glinda swallowed hard before continuing.

"While I stood up there considering how I would look splatted on the ground, I saw the people partying in the streets and it made me mad. They were happy you were dead and they didn't even know you. I turned around and headed back inside. Even if they could never get to know you, they would get to know what you wanted and how things should be done. It was then that I decided I wasn't going to be the bubble headed blonde bimbo anymore. It was then that I wanted to live every moment like it was my last and I wanted to make people see how foolish they were," she finished.

"Oh Lin," Elphaba threw her arms around her friend and gave her a squeeze. They both began to cry as they realized just how much each of them meant to the other. From this moment forward, Elphaba made a silent promise to never leave her best friend again.


	22. Chapter 22

When Elphaba exited Glinda's private room after the doctor insisted the blonde get some rest, she was very surprised to see Fiyero in the infirmary. He had yet to wake up and he was shackled to the bed via his right leg with a guard standing next to his bed. The green woman went over to him and felt his forehead. He showed no signs of fever and his constant unconsciousness was making her nervous.

"Do you have any ideas as to the Prince's condition? The Captain was concerned that he did not seem to notice your absence and brought him up here," Doctor Sebastian explained. Elphaba turned to the Royal Physician and shook her head.

"I have been looking for a long time to figure out how to change Fiyero back and I could not find a way. It seems that my new dragon friend is much more powerful than I," she explained.

"Well I don't know about all of that but it would seem odd to turn him back into a human and then leave him in a permanent coma. Although…" the doctor trailed off and he indicated that what he had on his mind could not be spoken in front of the Gale Force soldier standing there. Elphaba stood and moved away from the soldier, heading for the medicine cabinet at the end of the room. Sebastian quickly followed and the two quickly got into what seemed to be a heated discussion about trying medicine on the comatose Prince. While it was a discussion of sorts, Sebastian quietly relayed to her that Fiyero could not stand trial for his crimes until he was healthy enough to participate in his own defense so perhaps his condition was a blessing in disguise.

They then headed back over to Fiyero and made a show of testing his reflexes, listening to his chest, and checking his pupils. Captain Asli entered the room in a sudden and hot bother and both the doctor and Elphaba looked at each other. He grabbed Elphaba, practically threw her onto the bed next to Fiyero and then quickly shackled her to it. Her confusion at the turn of events was cleared up upon hearing a loud booming voice from out in the hallway.

"I am here to see my son!" Elphaba's eyes went wide. There was only one male patient and it was Fiyero. Sebastian hurried to the door along with Asli and they were met by a tall, muscular man, adorned in royal garb including the crown on top of his head. His robes were definitely made of Vinkun silk and they were a deep red that seemed to be creeping into his skin as the man was obviously in no mood.

"Your Highness," Captain Asli bowed.

"Where is Prince Fiyero?" He demanded.

"Right this way," Asli gestured and he walked the King over to the sleeping Prince. When the King noticed his son was shackled, he whirled on Asli but stopped short when he saw the green woman in the bed next to his son. His focus shifted and he reached over with one mighty hand and put it around Elphaba's neck. He tried to lift her off the bed, which worked to an extent considering that Asli had shackled her right ankle.

"This is your doing, Witch!" The King bellowed. Elphaba tried to respond but found that just breathing was hard to do. Asli jumped in and shouted,

"Your Highness put the prisoner down!" The King turned to him, Elphaba still in his grasp, and she could feel her ankle bones cracking.

"You have no right to speak to me in such a manner. I am King Haluk of the Vinkus and I will deal with this bitch as I see fit!" He yelled. It was then that the door to the private room swung open and a very unstable Glinda wobbled out of the door.

"Let go of her this instant!" Given that she was ruler of all Oz, the King was technically obliged to do as she demanded but instead Haluk squeezed harder.

"I'll let go of her when she's dead! She poisoned my son against me and for that she must pay!" He barked. It was at this point, no matter whom he was, Elphaba attempted to use her magic. Her fingers crackled with energy and though she could not mutter a spell the lightening within her fingers would go where it was needed. However, she never got the chance. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement that she could not explain until she heard the cocking of a rifle.

"Release her or I put a bullet into you!" The voice was all too familiar but she couldn't react as the world went dim.


	23. Chapter 23

Elphaba awoke with a start to find that she was no longer in the grasp of Fiyero's father and that she was no longer shackled to the bed as her leg was in a cast. Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder and she whipped her head around which was not a good idea as she immediately felt woozy.

"Thank Oz, Fae," Fiyero smiled from his seat in the chair next to her bed.

"Yero…" she croaked out.

"Please don't try to talk. The doctor promised to check you over shortly and talking could harm things further," he told her, taking her hands in his and kissing them. Elphaba heaved a sigh and a weak smile crossed her face.

"I thought I had lost you after everything we'd been through. I can appreciate you not using your magic on my father but you have my permission if he's trying to kill you," Fiyero said. Elphaba shook her head. While she had no family left, she refused to take anyone else's away from them.

"Oh Miss Elphaba," Sebastian came over, his medical kit in his hands. Fiyero separated himself from his beloved and the doctor commenced checking her over.

"Everything is still swollen which isn't surprising. I'm going to give you some pain medication but only if you think you can swallow it. I have the nurse crushing it up to put into some water. It's not terribly effective that way but it will be better than nothing," the Royal Physician admitted. Elphaba opened her mouth to say something but the doctor cut her off.

"Let's hold off on talking until tomorrow. I'll bring you pen and paper," he said. She nodded and the doctor quickly got up to fetch the paper, pen, and medicine.

 _What happened after I passed out?_  She scrawled on the paper after taking the medicine she'd been handed.

"My father tried to convince me that I was under your spell to which I told him that I loved you and was not going to listen to his crazy talk. At which point he took a little more convincing with the rifle I borrowed off of the guard before he let you go. Then Glinda ordered his arrest for assaulting you and the Captain seemed more than happy to oblige. I believe they locked him in his quarters. They've also sent word to my mother," Fiyero said.

 _Your mother? I didn't intend to meet your parents this way_ , she wrote.

"I didn't intend for you to meet them this way either. Although I may be disowned after that little stunt this afternoon," he told her.

 _What made you wake up?_  She wanted to know.

"I have no idea. It might have been the shouting. For some reason I had this feeling of dread and then my eyes were open and before I knew it I was holding my father at gunpoint," he shrugged. Elphaba frowned. She didn't like that Fiyero hadn't seemed to have control of his own body. Dragons were notorious for tricking people into doing things for them and she knew that despite what seemed to be Avantador's gracious help, it might have been a loaded weapon. It was a favor that neither she nor Fiyero asked for that could need to be repaid at a later date.

"To be fair, I had to help the Prince get his joints working properly. After we treated you, I started helping him get used to standing and waking up his muscles for a few hours. He may have been able to swipe the rifle from the guard but I have serious doubts about his motor skills at the time. He probably wouldn't have been able to squeeze the trigger. Considering how long he had been a Scarecrow and then how long he was unconscious it's surprising at how well he recovered," Sebastian spoke up. Again the witch frowned. Another side effect of Avantador's work? It might be too early to tell.

"Well off to bed with the two of you. The next few days will be a little crazy," the doctor said. They both knew he was right. There was Glinda's wedding, the charges against them, and Fiyero's parents to deal with. Fiyero crawled into the bed, next to Elphaba and carefully pulled her into his arms.

"I have missed this so much," he whispered as sleep easily overtook him. Elphaba smiled slightly and snuggled into his warm body while her mind raced a mile a minute in regards to the trouble ahead.


	24. Chapter 24

Two days later, Glinda was well enough that she was bound and determined to make the announcements to the public she needed to make. The doctor wished she would wait but the blonde had her mind made up. Mindy took her to her quarters and helped her get cleaned up and dressed in her favorite pink dress. Her announcements were to be made at eleven in the morning and the blonde wanted to look her perky, happy self.

Captain Asli received word that the Queen of the Vinkus would be arriving the next day, having left nearly immediately after obtaining the message from the Emerald City. She promised to deal with both her husband and son upon arrival. The Captain alerted Fiyero and the King and was amused by their different reactions. While Fiyero seemed nervous the King was his usual grumpy self and Asli wondered what could be going through their minds. He'd heard the Queen wasn't someone to trifle with and that would be interesting considering the current situation.

Eleven o'clock came quickly and Glinda did a last check on her look before exiting the doors that led to the palace balcony. The crowd cheered upon seeing the blonde but whispers went through the crowd as the diamond ring on her hand was quite noticeable. Asli had brought her a ring that had to have cost him a small fortune and properly proposed the prior evening while they shared dinner in Glinda's private infirmary room. The ring was silver with emeralds encircling a pink diamond. The blonde had squealed so loudly when he slipped it on her finger that the Royal Physician had come running.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Oz, I have quite a few announcements to get to today and I appreciate you all coming," Glinda started.

"First, let me handle the events of what happened at the courthouse a few days ago. In a futile attempt to escape the charges against her, Madame Morrible was killed. She attacked me and the good people in the courtroom thinking she could win. I know this next part will come as a bit of a shock but I assure you it is all true," she was about to say something else about the situation when someone cried,

"The dragon!"

"Yes the dragon. He was brought here to aid in my defense. With him, he brought two of Oz's citizens whose names have been dragged through the mud," Glinda paused and the doors to the balcony opened again. Captain Asli led an incredibly nervous Elphaba and Fiyero out into the open and gasps went up through the crowd. The former had used her magic the previous day to heal the wounds that King Haluk had inflicted on her.

"It's the Witch!" A cry went up and people in the crowd went for their weapons.

"Good people of Oz! Please calm yourselves! Without her help, I would not be speaking to you! She, Prince Fiyero of the Vinkus, their Animal friends, and the dragon, Avantador, saved everyone in that courtroom that day. It was the Wizard and Madame Morrible who tried to cover up what they did not want to admit. Miss Elphaba Thropp is the most powerful witch in all of Oz and she refused to help them harm the Animals. They smeared her name and the good works she tried to do. I have released official documents to The Emerald Times and they will be putting together a special free issue that will be available for everyone this evening. All of Oz will know the truth," Glinda announced. Another round of gasps went up through the crowd when suddenly in the sky there appeared the feared Flying Monkeys. Elphaba's eyes went wide as Chistery came in for a landing right next to her. The others landed on the upper parapets and smaller balconies above. He put his arms around her and she hugged him back.

"I told you to be safe," she murmured.

"If you are not safe, we are not safe," he said before pulling away and walking over to Glinda. The blonde was shocked to say the least.

"Lady Glinda, my brothers and I want to know of your intentions," he said, loud enough for all to hear.

"Yes of course, Mister…"

"My name is Chistery. I lead my brothers in the protection of Miss Elphaba," the Monkey explained.

"Good then please accept my offer to join the Gale Force. You and your brothers will be treated like the soldiers you are. Miss Elphaba is to remain here at the Emerald Place as my advisor," the words shocked everyone, including Elphaba. Chistery looked to his fellow Monkeys and they pounded their chests.

"We accept your offer with two conditions. First, my fellow soldiers must be taught to speak, like I can. Second, wherever Miss Elphaba goes, we follow," he said.

"Agreed. You may report to Captain Asli at the conclusion of my announcements," the blonde shook his hand. Chistery nodded before returning to Elphaba's side. Fiyero looked at her and he could tell that she had no idea this was coming. He could see that she was beginning to get a bit overwhelmed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, that is the kind of devotion Miss Elphaba has earned from the Animals and from others who know her. I know that once you truly get to know her, you will see what I have seen. Since she will take up the post of my advisor, all charges brought against her will be dropped, that goes for Prince Fiyero as well," that announcement riled the crowd up.

"I know that you are upset but our justice system still holds innocent before proven guilty seriously. The Wizard and Madame Morrible have done a terrible amount of damage that may never be fully repaired but we can all start by letting Miss Elphaba and Prince Fiyero do what they were born to do and that is help the citizens of Oz. Now I have one final announcement," she paused and Asli walked up to her.

"Captain Asli has proposed to me and I have accepted. We are to be married in one week's time," this piece of news was more welcome and the crowd cheered.

"Thank you all so much for your attention this morning. Be sure to check out this evening's free edition of The Emerald Times and keep checking back for the formal announcement of our wedding. It will be a national holiday and everyone will have the day off," this made people even happier. With that, the blonde and her fiancé turned and headed toward the doors where Elphaba, Fiyero, and Chistery stood.

"Lin I…" for once the green woman was speechless.

"Come on in and we'll talk," she winked.


	25. Chapter 25

The Council had immediately requested Glinda's presence in their chambers following her announcements as they had all been caught off guard. The blonde knew that some of them were staunch supporters of the Wizard and Morrible and she had refused their request until they read the documents which she had had copied and delivered to each of them personally. It would buy her a reprieve but only until the morning at the latest.

Inside the Great Dining Hall, Glinda sat at her usual place at the large table with Elphaba on her right and Fiyero on her left. Lunch was about to be served and the blonde wanted to be sure that both of her friends actually ate. Tonight's newspapers would carry their fate in the minds of the public.

"Lin, you've taken a big chance. I'm not sure those documents are going to show anything that will sway public opinion on who I am and what they think I did," Elphaba said as the food began to be brought out from the kitchen.

"Everyone in this palace has seen just what you are capable of and how you could have used your powers at any time to overthrow me. Since that is not the case, I believe people will begin to realize just what was going on. Besides, Oscar was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them," the blonde winked as she pulled a portfolio from the tray that had been brought to her moments before. She handed it to her friend and the green woman quickly opened it. Glinda had told her there was proof but she hadn't believed her. Now after scanning the first document she understood why her friend had known this to be damning.

"He was separating himself from Morrible," Elphaba murmured.

"Every document that was used at Morrible's trial had her name on it. The Wizard's name was nowhere to be found except if you knew where to look," Glinda quickly conjured a spell and the Wizard's signature appeared next to Morrible's.

"He used enchanted ink! How is that possible? Morrible certainly would have had to check the records later after they were signed," the green woman was stunned.

"His clerk, who wrote up the laws against the Animals, as Oscar told her, knew how to do it. Family tradition it would seem as members of her family had always clerked for the great leaders of Oz. The pen she had them use to sign the documents was the enchanting object. Morrible could see the signature but no one else could. It is quite an ingenious spell. Later he could claim that he had no knowledge of what Morrible was doing behind his back in case it ever came to that. She would be tried, most likely found guilty, and executed, all while he remained in power. Once you decided to work against him and Morrible, he signed into law that you were to be captured at all costs as an enemy of the state. Flip to the third page," Glinda instructed before tucking into her salad. Elphaba did as she was told and read part of the page aloud,

"By the order of the Wizard, the Wicked Witch of the West is hereby decreed to be an enemy of Oz. She has refused to abide by the laws set down by this office and has turned to violence against Oz's citizens…"

"What is it?" Fiyero asked, in between bites of steak. He had never enjoyed food so much since he could taste again and was barely able to come up for air in between bites.

"He lists places and times of events that there was no way I could have actually been at," Elphaba explained.

"He needed to make it look like there was a legitimate reason for his declaration. The damage you "did" was actually done by Morrible as evidenced by the next page," Glinda said. Elphaba quickly flipped to the next document and realized that it was not an official document. She looked quizzically at her friend.

"He wrote down an itemized bill for money that would be sent to rebuild the damaged areas, being meticulous as he was, he couldn't help but write the date at the top of the page," the blonde said. Elphaba quickly double checked everything.

"He wrote this out before most of these events even took place," she looked up, eyes wide.

"As I said, Oscar wasn't stupid, but in his effort to pin everything on Morrible he did make one slip up. This document officially shows that he knew damage was coming to certain areas before it happened. That ties him to the lies spread about you. You ever notice how the Gale Force was chasing you while the events in the towns were happening? The Gale Force would have been the one to stop you, yet they were never around when anyone needed them," Glinda pointed out.

"Some of that was my doing," Fiyero admitted.

"Yero?" Elphaba looked at him as did Glinda.

"I was in charge of hunting you down. I was hunting you but not in the way you think. I was trying to find you and warn you. I knew that the attacks were not you're doing. The only ones you would attack were my soldiers, not villages where innocents could be hurt," he explained. Elphaba gave him a smile. The depth of his love was something she had never fathomed anyone having for her. Even when they could not be together, he was looking out for her.

"Since we're confessing things, I…" Glinda started but wasn't able to finish as Elphaba cut her off.

"Don't even think about it. Nessa in many ways made her own bed. I loved her with all my heart, she was my sister, but had Morrible not dropped that house on her, the people of Munchkinland would have tried to overthrow her. I fear her fate was sealed long before anyone realized the part she would play in history," her friend said. Glinda looked at her with sadness in her eyes but she supposed she was right. Nessa had always been eager to please her father and in doing so, she attempted to rule with the same iron fist. Though she went a bit further than her father did, she still did not deserve what happened to her.

"The past will never truly be behind us but perhaps we can get a new start," Fiyero smiled, trying to ease the mood.

"I find that highly unlikely," Asli said as he entered the room.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Glinda turned to him,

"Because the Queen of the Vinkus is early. It seems those rumors about the speed of Vinkun horses are true," he swallowed.

"I'm a dead man," Fiyero went white as a sheet.


	26. Chapter 26

"Yero, please. Your mother can't be any worse than your father and he already tried to kill me," Elphaba gave him a look.

"I had my men escort her to your father's room first. It should buy you some time," Asli offered.

"Fae, sweetheart…" he started while she glared at him. She hated it when he called her sweetheart.

"Fiyero Tiggular! I have seen you ride into battle with nothing but straw for a body and yet you behave like your mother is the devil! Get a hold of yourself!" Elphaba's words shook him from his funk.

"In all fairness Miss Elphaba, I have to say that the Queen is very intimidating," Asli said.

"You too?" Glinda turned to her beloved.

"You did not see the murder in her eyes," Asli protested. The blonde turned to her best friend to which she only received an exasperated sigh.

"Adalet Tiggular is not one for games. There is a reason her name means 'justice'," Fiyero explained. Again Elphaba shook her head. She then stood from the table and carefully put the paperwork that Glinda had given her to look over back into the portfolio that it had come from. Then she stalked over to Fiyero and grabbed his ear, pulling it close to her lips.

"Sweetheart, pull yourself together!" She shouted and then let go. Fiyero winced and then rubbed his ear to calm the sting left by his better half. They didn't get much more time as they heard footsteps out in the hallway, coming at a quickened pace. The main doors to the room were flung open by two Gale Force soldiers who quickly got out of the way.

"The Royal Highnesses of the Vinkus to see you Lady Glinda!" One announced. Glinda stood quickly as both the King and Queen walked into the room. Well the Queen walked, her head held high, her husband sulked, more like a dog with his tail between his legs.

"Lady Glinda, I…" Adalet started but immediately stopped as she recognized the man standing near the blonde. Elphaba could swear that she could see Fiyero turn beet red.

"Yero…" the name dropped just above a whisper and before anyone knew it the former Captain of the Guard was enveloped in a massive hug from his mother. She stood at almost six feet tall, her tanned skin contrasted with the white dress that she wore and her jet black hair.

"Mother," again her name just above a whisper.

"I thought I had lost you forever," Adalet said.

"You almost did if it had not been for Fae," Fiyero told her. It was then that the Queen pulled back from him and looked him up and down. He did indeed seem to be the son she had last seen some time ago. She then turned her head to the green woman who was continually eyeing the King.

"So you are the one that Fiyero has told me about," the words hit the air and Elphaba's head swiveled toward the Queen, eyes wide.

"He told you about me?" The words barely left her mouth loud enough to be heard yet the surprise on her face was evident. Her endless disbelief surprised Fiyero. As she had pointed out, he had headed into battle with a body of straw and he hadn't thought twice. More than once she battled the Gale Force in an effort to protect the innocent but whenever it came to people believing in her, she could not handle it. He knew that Frex must have been very brutal to her as a child; the scars on her body and mind were not all battle wounds.

"Of course he did. Then the conversation switched to Lady Glinda and though I confronted him about my confusion, he did not set me straight," Adalet turned back to her son, eyebrow raised.

"It's a long story," Elphaba admitted.

"I've got the time," Adalet told her.


	27. Chapter 27

Glinda had had the kitchen reheat the food that had been slowly growing cold on the table and bring out some fresh items. She promised that they would fill both the King and Queen in after everyone had eaten. The meal was tense however and Elphaba, who had switched sides of the table to sit next to Fiyero, kept bouncing her leg up and down. Fiyero reached under the table and placed a hand on her knee which stilled her movements. Then as if to show defiance to his parents, he leaned over and kissed her on the temple. To this, Elphaba turned reddish brown and did not make eye contact with anyone the rest of the meal until all the plates were cleared away.

"All right start at the beginning," Adalet wasted no time and Elphaba was beginning to understand why Fiyero and Asli were afraid. The Queen was an intimidating woman. Not only because of her physical presence but also for her ability to get down to the heart of the matter; her eyes seemed to bore into Elphaba's soul and the green woman knew that she would not like what she found.

"There are some things, things I haven't even told Fiyero, that I will not discuss," Elphaba said. To this he turned to her and looked confused but Glinda was not.

"Fiyero, you have to let her tell you in her own way, in her own time. It was something that took a long time for her to admit and I forced it out of her when I should not have," the blonde spoke up. Immediately, Fiyero understood. Those scars that he'd discovered on their night in the forest while running from his men. He grabbed her right hand and kissed the back of it.

"It's ok Fae. Take your time. You and I have the rest of our lives to talk," it was not an innocuous statement; the deeper meaning shone through. Elphaba gave him a slight smile and then said,

"First, I am the last of the Thropp line and the only heir to the Governorship of Munchkinland. Though it would kill my father, if he were not already dead, to know this. However, in a rather sick and twisted way, I am also the heir to the Wizard."

"How does that work?" Adalet wanted to know, seeming to ignore what had transpired between her son and Elphaba moments ago.

"Frexspar Thropp was not my father, though he never knew it, I suspect he had an inkling that something was not right. The Wizard is in fact my biological father. The evidence that Glinda has provided leaves little doubt and it is the reason that the Wizard fled from Oz," Elphaba told them.

"Is there any way to know for sure?" Adalet pressed.

"I don't believe so but before her demise, Madam Morrible suspected something of the sort had happened. No one can explain how I became so powerful and the most logical explanation is that I am a child of two worlds, one world being here in Oz and the other world being wherever the Wizard was from. Coincidentally, it is the same place that Dorothy and her dog came from as well," the green woman said.

"I see. So now, despite all that has happened, you sit here next to Lady Glinda. How is this possible?" The Queen looked from her to the blonde.

"I informed the Wizard that Elphaba was in fact his daughter. It was then that I banished him from Oz and he gave little in the way of fighting me. The knowledge of the lies and destruction he caused, and of course at the time, we all assumed Elphie was dead, broke him. He left without a second thought and in the process left the information to clear Elphie's name," Glinda spoke up and handed the portfolio that Elphaba had been reading to the King and Queen. The Queen looked through the files as Glinda continued,

"The evening edition of The Emerald Times will be publishing all I have found and I have made everyone in the Emerald City aware of my intentions. In fact, the Council is breathing down my neck to speak to me."

"I can imagine but as you say, this is quite damning. The Wizard is part of the reason I wished to pull our allegiance from Oz. We had been on our own for a long time before the Wizard came along and I believed we could continue to do so. However, we were not given the choice. He sent Gale Force soldiers to the Vinkus and quickly appointed Fiyero to be Captain. The Vinkus and the Wizard were inextricably linked," Adalet seemed to be taking it well so far.

"All of Oz was linked to the Wizard. He sent troops to Munchkinland, the Gillikin, and Quadling Country. Momsie and Popsicle were not pleased," Glinda nodded.

"I can imagine not. However the masses seemed to be enthralled by his rhetoric and Quadling Country backed his play," the Queen said.

"It gave him enough power to rule Oz and do as he wished, especially since Morrible was on his side. Before Elphie was discovered when she arrived at Shiz, Morrible was the most powerful witch in all of Oz," the blonde explained.

"When I refused to work for him, he turned all of Oz against me. Faking my death seemed to be the only escape. It would have worked too if I had not had a vision about Glinda being in danger," Elphaba cut-in.

"You had a vision?" Adalet was intrigued.

"It is one thing I can do but I have no control over it. They hit when they want and sometimes they do not make any sense. It was something that developed while I was at Shiz and I always figured it was Morrible trying to convince me to join the Wizard. The woman could control the weather and get into people's heads very easily," she explained.

"So that does not explain how Fiyero died and how it is possible he is alive now," the Queen pointed out.

"That story is a little complicated, although to be fair, none of this has been straightforward," Elphaba heaved a sigh and began to get into more detail about how things had gone after she told the Wizard "no". To her surprise, she wasn't interrupted much and she watched as the King and Queen took all the information in.

"Lady Glinda, I apologize for the intrusion but the Council is not willing to wait any longer," Captain Asli entered the room, just as Elphaba was finishing up the details.

"I knew we couldn't hold them off forever. All right my dear. We shall away to our doom," Glinda smirked at that last sentence.

"They wish to see Miss Elphaba as well," Asli told them and to this the green woman gulped. Standing up to soldiers and fight for Animal rights was one thing; dealing with politicians was another.

"Well at least I had a decent last meal," it was a joke, well sort of one, but no one laughed as Elphaba stood from her chair.

"You'll do fine. They will have little choice in the matter when you tell them about your lineage," Fiyero reassured her.

"I'd rather not tell the world. Already more people know than I wished did. I wished I didn't know. The Council will keep their mouths shut but only for so long. If they decide they want me out of the way they will do so and regain control of Oz," Elphaba told him.

"Like the Council could take you," Glinda shook her head and chuckled.

"True but I'd rather not use my powers for evil," the green woman said.

"It's not evil if its self-defense and anyway you have a dragon on your side," the blonde pointed out. To that Elphaba nodded slightly, wondering just how much her friend had changed since they'd seen each other last. The two then excused themselves and Asli followed leaving the Vinkun family to their own devices.

"What are your intentions Fiyero?" Adalet turned to him, he now being the only one left to interrogate.

"My intentions are to marry the woman I love and stay by her side. What are yours? I believe Dad already made his clear," Fiyero glared at him.

"Son, you have to understand…" Haluk started.

"Understand what?! You were willing to kill her!" His son stood from his seat.

"You were dead and then you weren't! I was sure it was trickery by the Witch. I'm still not sure it isn't!" His father retorted.

"Elphaba is the sweetest, gentlest person I know. She would never harm anyone unless provoked. She had every right to kill you where you stood in the infirmary and yet she did nothing. Do you know she said to me that despite your attack? She couldn't imagine taking someone's family member away. She never really had a family but she refused to ruin someone else's unless given no other option. She was willing to die so that I could still have a mother and a father and yet you still think she is everything the Wizard told you she was!" Fiyero was at the end of his rope.

"You heard her! There are things she hasn't told you!" Haluk argued.

"Do you want to know what she hasn't told me? She tries to bottle everything up but her secret wasn't a secret once I saw what she tried to use her clothes to hide," the words were out. There was no going back now.

"Yero?" Adalet gave him a look.

"She wears those dark, full length dresses to hide her green skin despite how many times I tell her that's she's beautiful. It turns out what she hides is more than the color of her skin. What she hides are scars that run deep, ones that could have only been left by one person, Frexspar Thropp," with that he stood and left the room. Adalet turned to her husband, a look of disapproval on her face, and then she chased after Fiyero.


	28. Chapter 28

The Council was most definitely displeased as Glinda, Elphaba, and Asli entered the Council chamber. Glinda cleared her throat before moving to the center of the room where the podium for the speaker stood. The seating beyond it was arranged in semi-circular fashion and the blonde could feel the eyes upon her.

"Gentlemen, I understand you wanted to see me," she started.

"You are required to fill us in on everything before you make public announcements!" Councilman Reigar shouted.

"You will behave like civil human beings or I will disband you and send you all home. The Council will become redundant once I marry Asli and there will be little reason to keep you around. Oz knows it would save the taxpayers some money," the blonde narrowed her eyes at them. They knew she was right. The Council was only established after the Wizard's demise because the Ozian charter had specific instructions in it that women could not rule by themselves. It was an idiotic outdated rule but one that could not garner enough political support to be abolished. However, the blonde was on track to change all of that.

"You still should have come to us first, Lady Glinda. These kinds of announcements should be made as a group," Councilman Esta argued.

"I hardly think that this is the kind of decision that takes more than one mind to accomplish. You need to get it through your thick skulls. The Wizard is gone. He is not coming back and his ways will be something that myself, Asli, and of course Miss Elphaba will remove from our society," Glinda retorted. Elphaba was gaining a newfound respect for her friend. The blonde had certainly matured whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"I think you are forgetting that without the Ozian public, you are nothing," Councilman Semme pointed out.

"The public loves me and in turn they will love those I include in my circle. I have proven without a doubt that the Wizard has lied to everyone. While the public as a whole may not have a lot of education, they hate being lied to. You will be surprised at how many agree with me," Glinda said. Someone would have surely objected had their not been a knock at the door. Asli went to answer it to find Chistery on the other side. The Monkey saluted and the Captain returned the salute. Chistery then headed inside and stopped at Elphaba who could not help but give the Monkey a hug. He smiled and then moved to the blonde.

"Lady Glinda, my brothers and I have been on patrol. The newspapers have been distributed inside the city and we are delivering them to every country via the air as requested. The Captain has doubled the guard at the Palace gates, just in case, as instructed by the Council," he reported.

"Very good Chistery. Thank you for you and for your brothers in arms. I trust that the Captain and the other men have made you feel welcome," Glinda smiled.

"It will take some time but we will earn the trust and respect of our fellow soldiers," Chistery nodded. Elphaba could not help but smile. If anyone could help break down barriers, it was Chistery. He was a special Monkey and the bond that he shared with Elphaba was a good part of the reason she hadn't entirely given up in her cause when everything looked bleak.

"Good. I will be inspecting the troops in the morning and I will expect nothing but the best," the blonde told him. He gave a quick salute and then turned and left the room but not before letting Fiyero into the room. The Prince was all hot under the collar and Elphaba could see it.

"We are trying to conduct a meeting here!" Councilman Triplett was frustrated.

"Conduct your meeting. I'm not stopping you," Fiyero retorted as he pulled Elphaba into his arms for a hug. He just needed to feel her up against him. The warmth of her skin was something he'd missed while being a scarecrow.

"What's wrong Yero?" She asked quietly, worried that his parents had done something after she left.

"Nothing is wrong. I love you and I want you to know that," he could feel his shirt getting wet. The dam had finally broken. Everything that had been happening just caught up to her. But just as quickly as the tears had started they stopped. She could not show weakness in front of the Council and Fiyero once again marveled at her ability to close herself off. She pulled away from him and he could see the look in her eyes. She was exhausted and she had let her emotions slip but later there would be no controlling them.

"Gentlemen, I have said all I intend to say. This matter is closed pending public reaction to the announcements that have been made," with that Glinda stepped down from the podium and the room erupted in the Council's objections. The blonde tuned them out as she left the room, her friends and fiancé in tow.


	29. Chapter 29

Glinda was freaking out. The day of her wedding had arrived and the blonde was having a very hard time trying to keep it together. Elphaba was doing the best she could for her friend but if she was being honest with herself, she'd never seen Glinda like this. The blonde had been dreaming of her wedding day since she was a child, something that Elphaba had no experience with, and now it was here and the green woman was sure that there were things that she hadn't pictured. Being pregnant was certainly one of them but also only having a few days to get everything together. Granted the Royal Wedding Planner had had a dream since Glinda came to power and had quickly set things in motion after showing the blonde her vision but of course, the blonde had her own visions; most of which wouldn't be possible to plan if they had a year, never mind a week.

"Lin, you really need to stop pacing. I'm getting dizzy just looking at you," Elphaba said from her seat. The green woman was having her hair done by the hairdresser, a wonderful lady by the name of Mary, and despite the fact that she didn't like to have her hair played with by someone else, she had to admit this woman was very good at her job.

"How can I stop pacing? I'm getting married soon!" Glinda exclaimed, not bothering to stop.

"You're going to wear out those heels Lady Glinda," the hairdresser offered. This made the blonde stop and sit down. Unfortunately she started bouncing her knees up and down. Elphaba rolled her eyes and Mary giggled.

"This is worse than when I came to the Emerald City!" The blonde exclaimed.

"It's perfectly normal to be nervous and excited," Mary said.

"Yes but this other emotion I'm having really isn't either one of those," Glinda admitted. This caused Elphaba to turn toward her friend. Mary deftly moved at the same time and avoided a catastrophe.

"I know it's sudden but Asli is a sweet man who loves you very much. We should all be so lucky," Elphaba told her.

"Why are you complaining? You have Fiyero!" Glinda snapped to which Mary stopped what she was doing and looked down at the green girl.

"Fiyero Tiggular? Prince of the Vinkus?" She asked, quite surprised.

"The same. Don't worry, I'm continually shocked by it myself," Elphaba smiled slightly.

"Can we stay focused? It's my day! I'm getting married!" Glinda was starting to lose it.

"Lin, please! We know it's your day. Everyone knows. Your Mom and Dad are here, half of the Emerald City is coming, and everything is going to go according to plan. I know it's scary but you and Asli will be just fine. Plenty of people have gotten married before and survived," Elphaba said, before Mary turned her back to the mirror.

"I'm getting married…" That's when the tears started.

"Stop before you ruin your makeup!" Mary scolded. Glinda immediately tensed and froze. Then there was a knock on the door. Mary called for the person to enter.

"How goes it in here? The Captain is getting antsy," Lieutenant Ash asked. He stood at just under six feet, his blonde hair was slicked back, and the state of his dress uniform could have matched Asli's on a regular day.

"So is Lady Glinda," Elphaba replied.

"Right. So I'll tell him to calm down and we'll see you in an hour," Ash smiled slightly before closing the door.

"You had better stop her," Elphaba said. Mary looked at her confused right up until she saw the blonde heading for the door, tears threatening to fall.

"No you don't! Sit down!" Mary was stern. It surprised Glinda and she froze.

"I'm almost done with Miss Elphaba's hair and you're next!" Mary said.

"Well done. I'd say you'd been hanging around me too much if we hadn't just met," Elphaba chuckled as the blonde sat back down. Glinda looked at them both with her best "I'll set you ablaze right now" look.

"Oh don't be that way Lin. I'm going to be near you the whole time, so will Fiyero, and of courses, Asli. You'll be fine," Elphaba smiled as Mary finished her hair. The green woman got out of the chair, gently took Glinda by the arm, and helped her to the chair.

"All right, now hold still while I make you beautiful," Mary smiled.


	30. Chapter 30

The wedding went off without a hitch which surprised Elphaba. She expected Glinda to lose it when she and Asli were standing at the altar but the blonde was surprisingly calm. It probably helped to know that the Captain was just as nervous as she was. When the priest announced that the Captain could kiss his bride, the heat between the two curled most of the women in the audience's toes. When they separated, Glinda was blushing. Despite only knowing each other for a short while, they would be fine. The love Elphaba saw was almost as deep as hers and Fiyero's, though she was continually surprised at the depth of Fiyero's love. Elphaba could not deny what she felt for the Vinkun was something that she had never felt with anyone else, but she wondered just how deep the feelings ran. She wasn't so sure you could measure love by putting it in a bucket, or a basket, or a thirty gallon drum but maybe that was the point.

The party that followed was one of the largest that Oz had ever seen and would continue on into the weeks following as Asli and Glinda made their whirlwind tour of Oz as part of their honeymoon. They danced the night away and Elphaba ended up having Fiyero carry her up to their shared room, must to his parents' dismay.

"I really wish I hadn't broken my heels," Elphaba mourned the loss of one of the only pairs of shoes she owned as Fiyero set her down on the bed.

"I'll buy you new ones," he said simply, making sure the door to their bedroom was locked.

"Yero," she gave him a look.

"What? I can't buy you new shoes?" He gave her a confused look.

"No, you can, I just think we need to talk before we do a lot of things out in public," she told him as he plopped down next to her.

"Fae, I love you but half of the Emerald City saw us tonight. Dancing, kissing, and having a good time. I think the two of us could go to the cobbler together," Fiyero chuckled.

"I guess I'm just having a hard time getting used to people not running away and screaming when they see me," Elphaba laughed.

"Well they had better get used to a whole lot more," the Prince winked and then slid off the side of the bed. The green woman laughed, figuring he was drunk.

"Someone got a little sloppy tonight," she shook her head.

"Nope. I just had to get something," he smirked and pulled something out from under the bed.

"You hide things under the bed?" Elphaba asked.

"Only the important stuff," he assured her as he got up on one knee and presented the little black box to her. Her eyes went wide as he opened the box.

"Elphaba Melena Thropp, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked. The silence that followed made him nervous. She looked at him with doe in headlights eyes for a moment or two and then he realized why she hadn't answered him. Elphaba Thropp, the strong willed girl from Munchkinland, was crying.

"Oh Yero," she gave him a look that he'd seen before, one that they shared the night in the forest before he was taken away.

"Is that a "yes"?" He asked.

"Yes," the crying had stopped and it was replaced by a smile and a hug. Fiyero pulled away from the hug and kissed her sweetly on the lips before placing the gold ring with small rubies that encircled a medium-sized diamond.

"Do you like it? I know how much you hate the big gaudy stuff that Glinda is sometimes into and I know that you don't like to make a big fuss out of wearing lots of accessories and…" she cut him off.

"It's perfect," she said before leaning in and kissing him. He returned the kiss and soon they were reaching for one another's clothes. The offending articles of clothing found the floor and the two found each other as they moved up the bed. They had been exhausted from dancing but that all faded away as they held each other and showed each other that they were in this together forever.

**The End**


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